Tianjin Quanjin confident of securing Premier League striker in £76m deal

Chinese Super League outfit Tianjin Quanjin are growing increasingly confident of signing Chelsea striker Diego Costa in the summer in a staggering £76m deal, reports The Daily Telegraph.

Fabio Cannavaro’s side were heavily pursuing Costa’s signature at the start of the year and have not relented in their attempts to make the Chelsea striker the world’s best-paid player of all time.

Tianjin are even willing to eclipse the £71m Shanghai Shenhua shelled out for former Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez in December and Chelsea would be foolish to turn down that sort of money given the nature of Costa’s temperament and the fact he turns 29 later this year.

Costa was pictured with his agent Jorge Mendes at a London restaurant last week and representatives of the Chinese Super League outfit were also believed to be in attendance, while their owner, Shu Yuhui, has already confirmed he has agreed personal terms with “two or three stars”.

“The only thing I can reveal right now is that we have agreed terms with two or three starts. The players have no problem with the deals and their clubs are also willing to let them leave,” he said. “The only issue that remains unresolved is reaching agreements with their respective clubs over the transfer fees.”

Costa has returned to his best form this season to put Chelsea within reach of their second Premier League title in three years but this campaign hasn’t gone without his controversies.

In the last three Premier League campaigns only Sergio Aguero (68), Harry Kane (67) and Romelu Lukaku (52) have scored more goals than Costa (51).

For more stats on Diego Costa, click here to visit his WhoScored player page