Chelsea in pole position for Costa

Chelsea set to bid for Costa: Chelsea are preparing to make a bid to sign scoring sensation Diego Costa in the summer, reports the Daily Star. The Brazil-born striker has committed himself to Atletico Madrid this season, but "is aware of Chelsea's interest", the paper claims. He has a £32 million buy-out clause in his current deal, something which Arsenal are also aware of, although Chelsea "appear to have an advantage" over the Gunners. Why? Because the player is represented by agent Jorge Mendes - who just so happens to be Mourinho’s agent as well.Paper Round's view: Diego Costa is a name that is sure to be bandied about ad nauseum until he eventually leaves Atletico, such is his talent and the identity of his current club - who will struggle to keep him, despite the fact that they are joint-top of the Spanish league. Costa's current has made him the hottest property in Europe right now - in other words, the best player who is actually buyable. That being the case, every club with any kind of financial backing will be linked to him - especially the likes of Chelsea, who are in need of a world class goalscorer despite Jose Mourinho's insistence a few weeks ago that they're not in the market right now. And Mourinho's link to Costa's agent could indeed be crucial: it'll be far easier for the initial approaches to be made through back channels when there's only one palm to be greased.(uk.eurosport.yahoo.com)ANN.Az