Report: Chelsea 'increasingly likely' to sell Costa in summer

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte will give embattled striker Diego Costa a chance to reintegrate into the squad once he recovers from a back injury, but the Guardian's Dominic Fifield reports the 28-year-old is "increasingly likely" to leave the club this summer.

Although the Blues will not consider selling Costa in the January transfer window, Fifield believes Chelsea's original plan to offer the Spain international a new contract is no longer on the table.

There's belief that Costa, the Premier League's leading scorer with 14 goals, can still play a role in Chelsea's chase for the title. However, he'll have to show Conte - through actions, not words - that he merits a spot in the matchday squad.

Despite Sky Sports' initial understanding that the two would meet for clear-the-air talks Tuesday, Fifield's update indicates a meeting will not take place.

Should Costa depart in the next transfer window, Chelsea could target previous objects of desire Romelu Lukaku or Alvaro Morata as a replacement.

Costa trained on his own Sunday and Monday after missing the weekend's clash against Leicester City, officially through injury. He and another coach did a light session at the Cobham training ground while the rest of his teammates enjoyed two days off.

A dispute over the severity of Costa's injury apparently caused the rift with Chelsea, as fitness coach Julio Tous offered a contrary assessment to Costa's.

Chinese club Tianjin Quanjian - which already secured Axel Witsel this month on personal terms of £17 million a year - has reportedly turned Costa's head with an offer of £30 million per season.