Everton attacker Nikola Vlasic has revealed that his club were convinced that they were going to sign Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa during the summer.
Following a controversial fallout with Chelsea manager Antonio Conte, Costa was deemed surplus to requirements at the defending Premier League Champions ahead of this season and eventually ended up sealing a deal to rejoin Atletico Madrid. He will be eligible to play for the Spanish club in January.
It is probable that the Toffees were looking to sign the Spain international Costa as a replacement for Romelu Lukaku, who ended up joining Manchester United.
Vlasic, who joined the Merseyside club during the summer, has confirmed that he was told that Costa would be joining the club when he arrived.
He said: “I wanted the number 8, but Ross Barkley has it, and 19 was being saved for Diego Costa. The 27 was free and this was the one I chose.”
