Rumour: Arsenal pull the plug on £30m Diego Costa

Arsenal’s search for a long term successor to Robin Van Persie looks set to continue, with Goal.com reporting that Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has decided against making a move for Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa.

The 25-year-old forward had been heavily linked with a move for Costa throughout January, but has come to the conclusion that the Brazil born forward will not fit in with his style of play and is return to the drawing board in his quest to sign a world class striker.

Costa has either scored or provided an assist every 85 minutes in this season’s La Liga.

Costa has scored 21 league goals in 24 league games for Atletico and has been a key part of their challenge for the La Liga title. He only signed a new contract for the capital club last summer, but is believed to have a release clause of £30 million.

Wenger has, alongside fellow Premier League boss Jose Mourinho of Chelsea, been rumoured to be keen on meeting the clause, but has now decided against it. He sent his scouts to monitor Costa before Christmas, but has decided that the player is not for him and would not fit into the Arsenal style of play.

Arsenal have been weak in forward positions since the departure of Van Persie, with Olivier Giroud performing well but yet to hit the heights that a title challenging side demand. They attempted a summer move for Luis Suarez last season, but are unlikely to return for the Liverpool striker this year, whilst they have this week been linked with a move to bring Van Persie back to the club from Manchester United.