Chelsea striker Diego Costa returns to training with first team with China move unlikely

DIEGO COSTA took a full part in training with the Chelsea first team on Tuesday as the likelihood of a move to China dwindled.

Press Association Sport understands Costa was involved as his Chelsea team-mates returned following two days off after Saturday’s win at Leicester.

Head coach Antonio Conte said the 28-year-old striker was absent from that game with a back problem which saw him miss three days of training last week.

And Conte refused to publicly comment on reports of a disagreement with his top scorer, whose solitary training sessions on Sunday and Monday were linked to his recuperation, Chelsea said.

Costa had been linked with a mega-money move to Tianjin Quanjian.

Chelsea and owner Roman Abramovich are determined to keep the Spain striker, who has scored 14 Premier League goals in 19 games this season.

And the Chinese Super League club’s owner on Tuesday said that Chelsea’s desire to keep the striker until the end of the season and the new limit on foreign imports to China, with three permitted in matchday squads, will scupper a deal.

Tianjin’s billionaire owner Shu Yuhui told Tianjin TV, according to Sina Sports: “This situation has brought a change to our signing plans.

“If (the rule) had been ‘4 +1’ as in the past, then we would have made a big investment this year, but now it seems to be changed to three.

“The online reports about Costa, it’s true we’d like him, and we made an offer for (Edinson) Cavani and were deep in negotiations.”