Biggest hint yet that Chelsea have sealed deal for star striker

Anyone who’s attended a football match of any note will be familiar with the old age fan chant “xx xx give us a wave”, aimed at goading a gesture of acknowledgement from a player or manager back to the stands.

Well, a very similar exchange between Chelsea’s travelling fans and the club’s long-term transfer target Diego Costa was particularly telling after the 0-0 draw with Atletico Madrid at the Vicente Calderon.

According to football writer Henry Winter, present at the Champions League stalemate, his tweet revealed that Costa responded to jubilant away supporters before slipping down the tunnel.

Winter tweeted: “#cfc fans chanting “Diego Costa, we’ll see you next year” as #atleti striker walks past. Costa waves back”.

Speculation surrounding the proposed deal between Atleti’s prize asset and the London club was bordering on fever pitch anyhow, with various reports in the build-up to the game even claiming a £50m fee had already been agreed.

But this latest act surely has to be seen as the most revealing indication yet that the much-vaunted striker is Stamford-Bridge bound this summer.

Of course, Costa will be heading to the Kings Road very shortly whatever happens in the coming months as his current employers look to find a way past his prospective ones.

With the first leg finishing 0-0, the tie is on a knife edge, as shown by Chelsea and Atletico both being labelled as 5/6 shots to qualify for the final, though the Blues are the slight 5/4 favourites to win the match.

There could yet be the ironic situation where a Costa goal is the one which dumps Chelsea out of this year’s competition.

It will be interesting to hear what the home support chant in that scenario.
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