Chelsea dismiss John Terry and Diego Costa 'bust-up' rumours as 'nonsense'

Stan Collymore has withdrawn his original allegation

Claims of a bust-up between John Terry and Diego Costa have been dismissed by the club (Getty Images)

Chelsea have dismissed claims of a 'bust-up' between club captain John Terry and striker Diego Costa as 'nonsense'.

The allegation was made by Talksport presenter and former Aston Villa striker Stan Collymore, only to be withdrawn after the club's denial of a argument.

Collymore has now apologised for suggesting that the incident ever happened.

'I'm not beyond getting things wrong,' he wrote in a tweet.

'[I] am happy to hold my hand up and say I was on this occasion, so therefore it is right and proper to apologise unreservedly to Diego Costa, John Terry and Chelsea Football Club for any inconvenience caused.'

Chelsea have endured their worst start to a top-flight season in 29 years, confirmed by Saturday's dismal 3-1 defeat to Everton.

Three defeats in their opening five games have left the defending champions in 17th place, 11 points behind leaders Manchester City.

In an attempt to arrest their slide, the club has banned its players from engaging in 'banter' and it is believed that manager Jose Mourinho will ring in the changes for the forthcoming fixtures against Maccabi Tel Aviv and Arsenal.

The Independent has launched a new football app! Live scores, in-game stats, breaking news, videos and push notifications are just some of the many features. Use the links below to download and get more from Indy Football...

iPhone
http://ind.pn/iphonefootball

iPad
http://ind.pn/ipadfootball

Android
http://ind.pn/androidfootball