Antonio Conte demands five more games from Diego Costa as China transfer interest builds around Chelsea striker

Antonio Conte has told Diego Costa to put thoughts of a big-money move to China out of his mind for five more games as Chelsea try to close out the Premier League title.

Chelsea are on the brink of a remarkable triumph, with the possibility of the double to follow, success no-one expected in Conte’s first season in English football. But Costa has a huge offer from Chinese side Tianjin Quanjian, who are willing to pay him in excess of £600,000 per week for next season. They would happily pay Chelsea £75million to sign the 28-year-old.

Costa has been aware of this offer since January, he is open to it, and his performances have not been as good since January as they were before he had his head turned. But Conte has told the fiery Brazilian striker to give him five more games, four in the league and the FA Cup final, before thinking about his next move. The same goes for any other Chelsea player considering leaving at the end of this season.

“Now it's very important for every single player and person who works for Chelsea to be focused on the present, because the present is very important for us,” Conte said at his press conference at Cobham on Friday afternoon.

“Now it's more important than the future, to be focused and concentrated, to prepare these five games between now and the end. I'm not worried about this. I see my players every day and I see the right concentration and focus about them.”

There is even talk in Italy that Internazionale have targeted Conte to be their next manager and that they are preparing a big offer for him. Conte again said that nothing would distract him from trying to complete the double this season.

“It's the same, the same speech for my players, the same for me,” Conte said. “We must stay with great concentration until the end. There is this great target, which is close, and for this reason I think we must think in the present. At this part of the season there are a lot of speculations about my players, also about me, but it's not important. Not important, this. The most important thing now is to try and reach our target.”

Costa is Chelsea’s likeliest big-name departure but there is also interest from Real Madrid in Eden Hazard. He is likelier to stay at Stamford Bridge but that is a topic Conte has had to deal with plenty of times recently too. Conte refused to get ruffled about Hazard and it was the same way with Costa today. He does not want to be distracted. “I say the same way as I did about Hazard,” Conte said. “I repeat the same concept about him and every single player. You can ask me for the future.”

Conte won three consecutive Serie A titles at Juventus as well as plenty as a player so he knows that speculation is par for the course at this time of year. But he insisted that him and his team are sufficiently experienced to handle it as they prepare for their crucial game against Middlesbrough on Monday evening.

“It's normal about this part of the season,” Conte shrugged. “It's normal to cope with this situation, with this speculation. Sometimes you can find the truth, a lot of times it's not true. But at this part of the season it's normal. It's more important for us to be focused to do our jobs in the best way. The other situations are not important for anybody now.”