Diego Costa may not be eligible to play for Atletico Madrid till January 1, 2018 but the Rojiblancos have already begun a gruelling training program to get the their £55 million signing up to speed.
Costa joined Premier League side Chelsea from Atletico in 2014 and after winning the league title twice, returned to the club that made him a star, albeit under a cloud.
For despite firing Chelsea to their second Premier League in three seasons, Costa had a public fallout with Blues manager Antonio Conte.
The cash-rich Chinese Super League came calling in January 2017 but with Chelsea in the midst of their season, Conte refused to sanction Costa’s sale to the Far East.
After the season concluded, Costa told reporters that Conte had informed he was no longer in his plans and was free to seek a new club. And with the Londoners breaking their transfer record to sign Costa’s compatriot Alvaro Morata for £60 million, Costa’s future at Chelsea was bleak.
Atletico Madrid were interested in re-signing the forward but with a sanction imposed upon them by FIFA which forbade them from registering new players till January 1, 2018, the summer transfer deadline passed without a move being made.
However, the clubs were able to reach an agreement and after plundering 59 goals across three seasons for the Blues, Costa was to move back to the Spanish capital when the winter transfer window would open.
The intense session Costa underwent is not surprising considering the fact that 28-year-old has effectively not had a proper pre-season.
Atletico have begun the 2017-18 La Liga season in an indifferent fashion, for they are in fourth place, six points behind leaders Barcelona.
Their UEFA Champions league campaign hasn’t gone as planned either, for Chelsea managed to beat them 2-1 at their fancy new stadium-the Wanda Metropolitano-to complicate their chances of progressing into the knockout stages.