AC Milan CEO Marco Fassone has confirmed the club have held talks with Chelsea striker Diego Costa’s agent.

The Brazil-born Spain international is expected to leave the Premier League champions after Chelsea completed the club-record capture of Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid.

Antonio Conte has suggested a row with Costa in January over a proposed move to Chinese Super League side Tianjin Quanjian made up his mind about the future of the forward, who scored 20 Premier League goals last season.

Costa’s former club Atletico Madrid have been mooted as his most likely destination, but the La Liga club are under a transfer ban until January and Fassone has hinted big-spending Milan could step in.

‘I would prefer to avoid talking about players from other teams; Diego Costa is a great player, but a Chelsea player,’ Fassone told Sky Sports.

‘We went to see [Costa’s agent] Jorge Mendes; there is a lot you can talk to him about. Costa is a great player but he is of Chelsea. That’s all.’

Milan have already made 10 signings ahead of the new Serie A season, including the arrivals of Leonardo Bonucci and Andre Silva, but coach Vincenzo Montella is reportedly keen to add another striker to his squad, with Borussia Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang among those linked with a switch to San Siro.

– This story originally appeared on FourFourTwo.co.za