Diego Costa and Nemanja Matic given permission to miss Chelsea's tour of Far East

Posted Saturday, July 15, 2017 by Skysports.com

Diego Costa and Nemanja Matic given permission to miss Chelsea's tour of Far East
Diego Costa (centre) and Nemanja Matic (left) will not travel to the Far East

Diego Costa and Nemanja Matic have been given permission to miss Chelsea's tour of the Far East.

Costa has not been present at Cobham this week, having been excused from the first week of pre-season training amid mounting speculation over his future.

Matic has been back in for pre-season training but has reportedly spent much of his time at Cobham this week working away from the main group.

Costa revealed in June he had received a text message from Antonio Conte telling him that he no longer featured in the Chelsea boss' plans, despite netting 20 goals last season as the Blues won the Premier League.

Costa's former club, Atletico Madrid, remain the front-runners to sign the Brazil-born Spain international.

Meanwhile, Matic has been linked with a move to Manchester United and a reunion with former boss Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford.

Sky sources understand Chelsea are close to finalising the signature of Monaco midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko, which could pave the way for Matic to join United. The Serbia international has also reportedly attracted interest from Italian champions Juventus as well as London rivals Arsenal.

Chelsea depart at the beginning of next week for their tour of the Far East. The Blues travel to China and Singapore where they will play Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.