Costa wanted the chance to speak to the Chinese Super League club – Tianjin Quanjian – when it was clear they were ready to line his pockets with over £500,000 a week of tax free money.
But Conte knew he needed another six months from the volatile striker before pressing send on the explosive text message which ended his Stamford Bridge career.
Conte told him he was no longer part of his plans and he was free to leave – a message which Costa made public while on international duty showing reporters the evidence in a mixed zone.
But, although the message was sent to Costa in the summer, after he lifted the Premier League with 20 goals to his name, Conte had mentally pulled the trigger months earlier.
The Italian was furious with Costa’s attitude in training and fired back with shouts of ‘go to china’ at the club’s Cobham HQ after one row.
Costa was dropped for the trip to Leicester before scoring on his return against Hull, celebrating with a mimic to the press for reporting on the events at the training ground.
Conte, who can fight fire with fire when it comes to heated battles, was apoplectic with Costa and wanted rid from then.
He planned to sign Romelu Lukaku as the direct replacement and was left shell-shocked when Manchester United snatched him from under his nose.
He moved for Alvaro Morata for a club-record fee but has not happy with all the work done in the transfer market, and missed out on Fernando Llorente, who chose Tottenham instead.
But Costa, despite being included in the Premier League squad, had no way back and today the confirmation has come on a move to Atletico.
Costa has been in exile in Brazil for months and, in an interview with the Daily Mail, claimed to have been treated like a criminal.
Conte laughed that off in a rather bizarre press conference and previously revealed he had decided on Costa’s future back in January.
“I don’t like to talk about players who are not here but the only thing I can tell you [is that] in January, the Costa situation was very clear, for the club for him and his agent,” he said in July.
“For me the situation is closed.”
Although in reality it has taken month to finally close and with Chelsea facing Atletico Madrid in the Champions League next week, it will be interesting to see if Costa is in attendance.
He is expected in Madrid this weekend to complete a medical and agree personal terms.
And while the transfer has been agreed he cannot be registered to play until January after Atletico’s transfer ban is lifted and the transfer window reopens.
But for now, the saga is finally over.
