Chelsea striker Diego Costa claimed late last night that he was no longer in Antonio Conte’s plans, which could potentially have strengthened Everton’s negotiating position over the London club in their pursuit of Romelu Lukaku.
Twitter: Brutal!! Conte ends Costa’s Chelsea career via text!
#chelsea #conte #sports #football #soccer #soccerweekly… https://t.co/ZY2RHONwfe (@_MidasRadio)
Could that mean Diego Costa could join Everton in a part-exchange deal for the Belgian striker? Probably not.
What it could mean for Everton though, is that the Toffees may have more strength in negotiating a deal for want away striker, Lukaku.
Michy Batshuayi claimed several days ago that he hopes to play more football next season in an attempt to get into Belgium’s World Cup squad, as quoted in the Express, and so may seek to leave the Blues this summer.
Now, with Diego Costa seemingly on the move, Chelsea are putting all of their eggs into one basket in the hopes of landing Batshuayi’s compatriot – else they could end up with little to choose from in the way of strikers or, simply be forced to keep unsettled players at the club.
This should allow Everton to be front and centre in the driving seat of negotiations and, should Chelsea want the 24-year old strongly enough, it should allow the Toffees to more easily dictate a price.
Could this lead to Batshuayi joining Everton in a part-exchange deal for Lukaku as many Everton fans have expressed hope for on social media? We don’t know, but Everton will surely be able to get the best deal possible now from Lukaku moving on.
