Wages proving stumbling block in AC Milan pursuit of Chelsea striker

AC Milan’s pursuit of Diego Costa might be over before it ever really started as the Chelsea striker’s wage demands prove a huge stumbling block in a potential deal, reports The Daily Telegraph.

Costa is free to leave the Premier League champions this summer after being told by Antonio Conte through text message that he doesn’t feature in the Chelsea manager’s plans anymore.

The 28-year-old has been heavily linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge since last summer after attempting to force through a return to Atletico Madrid before being heavily linked with a blockbuster switch to China in January.

However, Costa is determined to play for Spain at the 2018 World Cup and believes moving to China would end his chances of featuring in Russia next summer, while a return to Atletico has been made complicated by the fact Diego Simeone’s side cannot register players until January.

Milan are the only club that have stepped forward with any meaningful interest in the wake of Costa’s stunning revelation about Conte on Wednesday night, but Vincenzo Montella’s side are reluctant to match his current £200,000-a-week wage demands.

Costa helped fire Chelsea to their second Premier League title in the last three years last season after scoring 20 goals and registering seven assists in 35 league appearances.

In fact, only Harry Kane (36), Alexis Sanchez (34) and Chelsea-bound striker Romelu Lukaku (31) scored or assisted more goals in the Premier League last season than Costa.

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