Marseille president insists move for Chelsea wantaway Diego Costa 'not impossible'

Marseille president Jacques Henri Eyraud has expressed his admiration of Chelsea wantaway Diego Costa and does not think a deal to bring the Spain international to the Stade Velodrome is beyond the realms of possibility.

Costa is currently residing in his family home in Brazil after Blues boss Antonio Conte informed him via text that he was no longer part of his plans at Stamford Bridge. The former Atletico Madrid hitman has since stated that he "must return" to the Spanish capital, and Diego Simeone's men have reportedly agreed a €45m (£41.1m) fee to bring Costa to the Wandra Metropolitano in January, with their transfer ban forbidding them from registering players this summer.

Chelsea are keen to be rid of the troublesome but talented Costa once and for all, but while he so obviously wishes to return to Atletico, Marseille president Eyraud believes the Brazilian-born hitman would "fit in very well" on the south coast of France and is happy to thrash out a deal, providing it met "certain conditions".

Eyraud did concede that a potential move may prove tricky due to issues regarding his contract with Chelsea, but the Marseille chief refused to rule anything out as Rudi Garcia's men actively search for a new striker.

"I like his character, his grit and his sense of combat," Eyraud told SFR Sport, relayed by FourFourTwo. "He would fit in very well at OM. However, he has a complicated contractual situation."

"If a player ticks all the boxes, then we showed that we were able to do the transactions," Eyraud said. "Why not? But it [the deal] must at least meet certain conditions. Nothing is impossible."

"I assure nothing [to the fans] for the end of the market. It is a sensitive subject. But one thing is certain - we are actively searching for a striker."

Chelsea are happy to see the back of Costa and have already replaced him with his compatriot Alvaro Morata, who is still adapting to the rigours of the Premier League. Marseille, who have already signed forwards Valere Germain and Clinton N'Jie this summer, failed to lure Arsenal forward Olivier Giroud back to his homeland but are still in the hunt for further striking reinforcements before the end of the transfer window.