Wednesday 9 August 2017 13:05, UK
Diego Costa will not be part of Chelsea's season-opener against Burnley - just 81 days after he celebrated the Premier League title with his team-mates.
The 28-year-old Spain international, who scored 20 league goals for the champions, remains exiled from the club having been told he has no future under boss Antonio Conte.
Costa has not been to Chelsea's Cobham training ground since the end of last season and has been posting pictures on Instagram from his hometown of Lagarto in Brazil just days before the new season begins.
Costa wants to go back to former club Atletico Madrid and they are interested, but they will not touch the Blues asking price of £50m, with two years left to run on the player's current contract.
At the Premier League launch in central London on Wednesday, Conte would not be drawn into a discussion about Costa's future, insisting his position is "the same" as it has been all summer. "I think I was very clear," he said. "It's not important to repeat it."
Chelsea's striker options for the season opener at Stamford Bridge are new signing Alvaro Morata and Belgium international Michy Batshuayi - and Conte has suggested he will start with the new £70m addition from Real Madrid.
"Alvaro is a really good player, he's still young despite having a lot of experience," he said. "He needs to play regularly, he's a player I trust a lot.
"I think he has good prospects for Chelsea - for now and the future. Will he start this weekend? He's working very well and starting to understand or idea of football."
