Diego Costa hints at Chelsea exit

The biggest story for Chelsea on Thursday may turn out to be an Instagram post from Diego Costa, which many fans interpreted as a goodbye message, rather than their 1-0 friendly win over Liverpool.

Although the Spain striker didn’t play a single minute of the victory in the International Champions Cup, he posed with some Chelsea teammates in the dressing room after the match at the Pasadena Rose Bowl and hinted at an exit with the caption of his photo.

“Thank you very much for all my friends,” he posted, offering an unusual amount gratitude to his colleagues for securing a friendly win.

Costa has been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge during the summer transfer window, with his former team Atletico Madrid one of the suitors, which has led to fans believing his thank you message means he knows an exit is close.

As well as posting the photo, the 27-year-old has changed his Instagram profile picture. Previously his picture had clear references to Chelsea, but it has since been replaced by a simple image of a football.