Costa issues transfer warning to Barca target Griezmann

Diego Costa says Antoine Griezmann is big enough to make his own decisions, but has warned his Atletico Madrid team-mate there will be “no going back” if he moves to Barcelona.

Costa was in a similar position himself a few years ago before he moved from Atletico to Chelsea in 2014, but the Spain striker says Griezmann will not be able to do the same if he moves to hated La Liga rivals Barcelona.

France forward Griezmann, who has a €100million release clause in his contract, has been heavily linked with a move to the Camp Nou and Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu added fuel to that fire earlier this week when he claimed he had already spoken with Griezmann’s representatives over a potential summer switch.

Growing claims over recent weeks have suggested a deal has already been agreed to take Griezmann to Barcelona, but in an interview aired on French television last month, the player stated that such reports “were not good information”.

Told by a reporter on TF1 that “according to our information you are going to sign”, the French international replied: “I don’t where your information comes from but, for now, there’s nothing.”

But now Costa has urged Griezmann, who was wanted by Man Utd last summer, to think hard before jumping ship to Barcelona.

“I left and I was happy, I won things and I had a new experience,” said Costa. “I decided it with my family and, even though I am here again, I will not tell him what to do.

“He is already able to make a decision. I had the good fortune to go back [to Atletico] and he knows that if he makes the same decision, there is no going back. So, he must think about it.

“He’s big enough to know what to do,” Costa added. “That he feels important is fundamental and he knows that we want him here.

“Whether he leaves or not, I’m very happy with him. Now he’s just thinking about winning a title.

“He wants to make history with us. I see him very focused. I see him very well, very focused, very sharp.

“If he has something [that sets him apart], it’s his way of being inside the dressing room. He’s normal and I don’t see him differently from when I arrived, and the others also see him very plugged in and just wanting to win. I’m sure that it [the reports] does not affect him and motivates him a lot more.”