Simeone hoping to enjoy Griezmann-Costa partnership amid transfer speculation

Diego Simeone spoke about Antoine Griezmann and Diego Costa following Atletico Madrid's 3-2 friendly win over Al Ahly.

Published : Dec 31, 2017 12:27 IST

Diego Simeone (L) and Diego Costa (R) during their time at Atletico Madrid.
Diego Simeone (L) and Diego Costa (R) during their time at Atletico Madrid.
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Diego Simeone (L) and Diego Costa (R) during their time at Atletico Madrid.

Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone said he is hopeful Antoine Griezmann and Diego Costa will play together for a "period" as doubts linger over his star French forward.

Spaniard Diego Costa is set to complete his return to Atletico when the January transfer window opens having been unavailable for the first half of the season after signing from Chelsea amid the La Liga club's transfer ban.

Antoine Griezmann, meanwhile, continues to be linked with Premier League giant Manchester United after resisting a lucrative move in August, while Barcelona has emerged as a possible destination.

READ: Mourinho open to January moves as Griezmann rumours swirl

Speaking after Atletico's 3-2 friendly win against Al Ahly in Alexandria Saturday, Simeone said: "We have worked hard to bring Griezmann and Costa and hopefully we keep him for a period."

Kevin Gameiro was the star for Atletico in Egypt, scoring a hat-trick as the Spanish side overturned a 2-0 deficit.

"He always creates chances and hopefully this will give him confidence especially now that he has more competition," Simeone said. "It was a complete performance from us in both halves."

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