Diego Costa urged to apologise to Antonio Conte by Chelsea teammates after furious row

Costa was dropped for the 3-0 win over Leicester City

Diego Costa is looking to leave Chelsea with a move to China a possibility (Getty)

Diego Costa has been urged to apologise to Antonio Conte by his Chelsea teammates, after a blazing row between the pair saw the striker dropped for the Blues’ 3-0 win over Leicester on Saturday evening.

As The Independent revealed on Friday, Costa, who has 14 Premier League goals already this season, wants to leave Stamford Bridge and has been unsettled by a mammoth bid from China which could see him earning in excess of £30m a year.

The Brazilian-turned-Spaniard was told to train away from the rest of the squad for three days this week after the row – which also involved Chelsea’s fitness coach – and did not travel to the King Power Stadium to face the champions.

However, according to the Telegraph, Costa’s teammates are trying to act as peacemakers and attempting to persuade the 28-year-old to apologise to the coaching staff.

He has been told to concentrate on his football and reassess his future in the summer.

Costa posted a picture on Instagram late on Friday night with the message “Come on Chelsea”, which was instantly ‘liked’ by Cesc Fabregas and captain John Terry, suggesting that he is listening to his teammates’ wishes.

Owner Roman Abramovich is adamant that Costa won’t be sold this month as talks between the club and the striker are scheduled for early next week.

Conte insisted that Costa was missing with a back injury but it is understood that the incident which triggered the row came from the Chelsea boss backing his coaching staff on Tuesday.

The situation the got allegedly worse on Wednesday as Conte shouted “go to China” after another heated exchange, the Telegraph report.