Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has refused to rule out the possibility of Diego Costa leaving the club this summer. The Italian says he is unsure whether Diego Costa will remain a Chelsea player next season.

The Spanish international striker missed Saturday’s friendly with Real Madrid with a back injury, but speculation has since grown and the player is reported to want a move back to former club Atletico Madrid.

Conte stated after the 3-2 loss on Saturday that he did not know if the striker would still be at the club before the start of the upcoming season.

“I can say that today Costa is a Chelsea player,” he said.

“He didn’t play in these games because of injury and if he solves the injury and I see in training that he is in good shape it can be possible to see him in the next game against Milan. But I can say only this. I speak only for today and today Costa is Chelsea’s player. Tomorrow if you ask me if Costa will remain with us, I don’t know.”

Conte was also questioned about the possible return of Romelu Lukaku from Everton, a striker sold by Chelsea in 2014.

“I do not want to speak about the players of other teams,” said Conte, when asked directly about Lukaku.

“This is not respectful to the club or to their players. I prefer not to speak.”

“The transfer market is not the most important thing. The important thing is to build a team – a team that plays in good and bad situations and concentrates and works together.”

[All quotes via Sky Sports]