Chelsea could make good use of Diego Costa in their attempts to land Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann in the coming months, battling Manchester United for the French international.
According to the Daily Telegraph, Atletico's recent desire to re-sign Costa has the potential to give Chelsea a 'big advantage' over the Premier League rivals.
Chelsea ultimately refused to sell Costa this summer - it became clear that landing another top quality striker before the end of the window would be too much of a task - but it's something that could easily re-surface, especially with Stamford Bridge officials tailing Griezmann.
Griezmann, who scored 32 goals in all competitions last season before firing France to the final of Euro 2016, is believed to have a release clause set at €100m in his latest contract.
Atletico are unlikely to want to do business at an offer of much less, but the inclusion of Costa in the mix gives Chelsea a chance. United or others would likely have to trigger the release clause, close to the current transfer world record, in order to have the opportunity of striking a deal.
The rumours that Diego Simeone may also move on to seek a new challenge could also come into play, possibly leading Griezmann to consider his own future.
The 25-year-old has spent his whole career to date in Spain. He had failed to suitably impress youth scouts in his native France as a result of his small, lightweight stature, and joined Real Sociedad when he was 14.
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