Diego Costa has informed Atletico Madrid of his desire to leave the club ahead of the January transfer window and to have his contract with the club terminated, Goal can confirm.

The Spain international has had a tough time since returning to Atletico from Chelsea in 2018, with his appearances and productivity limited amid injuries.

Costa has made only seven appearances in La Liga this season, with two goals to his name.

AS reported that he had sought out club officials to inform them of his desire to move on and have his deal terminated, ahead of the expiry of his contract in the summer of 2021.

Goal can confirm that Diego Simeone’s side are open to the prospect of letting the 32-year-old striker move on, provided suitable replacement cover can be found in the January transfer window.

Simeone is reluctant to go into the second half of the season – with Atletico battling for honours on three fronts – with Luis Suarez as his sole attacking option.

Suarez has made a good start to his Atletico career following his transfer from Barcelona, but he is 33 and has had injury problems of his own this term. The Uruguay forward missed a month of the season due to injury and ended a lengthy goalless run in the 3-1 win over Elche on December 19.

Atletico are in excellent shape to challenge for the Liga title, level on points at the top of the table with Real Madrid with two games in hand.

Should Costa’s wish to move on be granted – and he is not currently training with the club – his final goal for the Atletico could be the penalty he scored in the same game as Suarez netted a brace against Elche.

Costa was a force of nature during his first spell at Atletico, as his powerful presence and eye for goal helped them secure the Liga title in the 2013-14 campaign.

He earned a move to Chelsea on the back of his exploits for Atletico and won two Premier League crowns at Stamford Bridge before returning to Atletico in 2018.

The highlight of his second spell at the club was Europa League glory in 2018.