Diego Costa: I almost joined Liverpool before signing for Chelsea

He's banging in the goals at Stamford Bridge, but Diego Costa has revealed just how close he came to joining Premier League rivals Liverpool

The Spain forward's arrival at Chelsea last summer in a £32million transfer that has yielded 17 Premier League goals and looks like helping Chelsea win this year's title, but how different would things be if the 26-year-old was wearing Anfield red instead? Costa was the top target for Brendan Rodgers during the 2013 close season, with Liverpool matching the striker's £21million release clause, but the player opted to remain at Atletico Madrid, for another year at least. 'I was close to leaving Atletico,' Costa told the Sunday People. 'Liverpool are a great team, but after fighting so hard and overcoming difficulties to get my place at Atletico, how could I leave? 'I thought it was very important to keep growing with Atletico and to play there for many years.' It's easy to say he made the right decision, winning La Liga and reaching the Champions League final with Atletico and now heading for more glory with Chelsea, but Reds fans will wonder if Costa could have been the difference in making last year's title push more than just a famous near-miss.