Diego Costa has made it very clear he wants to quit Chelsea and join Atletico Madrid before the end of the transfer window.
The striker won't have been encouraged by Antonio Conte's reaction to being told he felt like a criminal; the Italian simply laughed off the suggestion when it was put to him in a press conference ahead of the Tottenham game.
What Conte will not be amused by is that the saga is still going on, with just eleven days left until the August 31 deadline.
It's clear there's been a gap in the Blues' valuation of the Spanish international and what Atleti are willing to pay - especially as the La Liga outfit know Chelsea have to sell after telling him he has no future at the club.
To complicate matters further, the Rojiblancos' transfer embargo means that any players they agree to sign this summer can't be formally registered until January 2018.
That would mean Costa would not be able to play competitively for the rest of the year. Given that he's missed pre-season too as he continues his exile in Brazil, it's fair to say he's not going to be entirely match fit when he next appears on a football pitch.
The obvious solution is a loan deal between now and the New Year, with Chinese Super League clubs and AC Milan having been linked.
However, the Mirror claim that he could make a shock move within the Premier League.
Could Costa stay in England?
Ronald Koeman has reportedly been sounding out Everton officials to gauge whether they would be happy to bring in such a controversial player.
The Toffees have been left scratching their heads somewhat after their interest in Olivier Giroud was rebuffed by the Frenchman, who has decided to stay at Arsenal and fight Alexandre Lacazette for his place.
In the same way, Danny Welbeck is not likely to swap north London for Merseyside.
The big concern this season for Everton is where their goals are going to come from. Romelu Lukaku's departure for Manchester United has left a void in their attack and for all his baggage, Costa did score 20 league goals in the 2016/2017 campaign.
Koeman is keen
When Koeman was asked about potential loan moves earlier this week, he told reporters:
“Is this about Costa? Of course you like to sign players for the future, but if you can get the best one that way, then why not?”
“That’s for six months, the season, two years. It’s difficult because it needs to be a quality player, or a young player who can develop or improve.
“We have the possibility maybe to sign good players, but we don’t play in the Champions League – and that sometimes makes things very difficult.”
Would Costa be a good signing for Everton? Have your say in the comments.