Spain national team coach Julen Lopetegui has confirmed that striker Diego Costa will be included in the national team fold only when he sorts out his future.
The striker has been unable to feature in the Chelsea first-team nor has he been able to secure the transfer to Atletico Madrid. Both clubs have been unable to agree on a transfer fee before the end of the summer transfer window. As a result, Costa will be remaining as a Chelsea player – without playing – until January. Chelsea are demanding around £ 50 million for his signature while Atletico are not prepared to pay more than £ 30 million.
Since coming to Chelsea in 2014 for around £ 32 million, he has been one of the top players in the Premier League and has been able to score the highest number of goals at Chelsea for three consecutive campaigns.
Yet, his decision not to play for Chelsea has led to a situation where he may not play in a competitive football until January. As a result, his fitness has taken a plunge and this is one of the reasons behind Lopetegui not calling up Costa for the upcoming World Cup 2018 qualifiers. He was also left out of the Italy and Liechtenstein.
The upcoming round of matches will see Spain coming up against Albania and Israel.”It’s rather complicated that a guy who doesn’t train and doesn’t play can be with us. But that’s all it is.He wasn’t ready to play with us [against Italy and Liechtenstein], that was the reality and what we had to deal with. That is the reason why he wasn’t with us. He needs to train and play in order to be considered. We are not angry. Costa’s summer has been unusual, strange, complicated — not just for him but for his club. He is still a Chelsea player,” said Lopetegui.