Diego Costa
Diego Costa's impressive scoring form has helped Atletico Madrid occupy the number-one spot on the La Liga table.The 25-year-old boasts of 24 goals in 24 starts for Atleti in the Champions League and the La Liga. Reuters

Premier League frontrunners Chelsea are believed to have placed Atletico Madrid forward Diego Costa on top of their priority list this coming summer.

An apparent lack of scoring production from the frontline is making Blues manager, Jose Mourinho, desperate to land a striker with effective predatory instincts in front of goal.

"Blues boss Jose Mourinho has told the club's hierarchy that signing a world class striker should be the priority during the summer transfer window," reports Jamie Sanderson of the Metro.

Manchester United's Wayne Rooney and Monaco's Radamel Falcao are amongst the numerous names that have been linked with the west London outfit in the recent past, but the England international has just signed a contract tying him with the Red Devils until 2019, while a cruciate ligament tear for the Colombian makes him highly susceptible to the possibility of recurrence.

The Brazil-born Costa, therefore, is the more logical choice because of his spectacular form for the Los Rojiblancos this season.

He has a tally of 21 and 7 goals in the La Liga and the Champions League, respectively, but can also operate as a creator as evidenced by his 5 assists in all competitions.

Moreover, the relationship that the Stamford Bridge hierarchy have built with their counterparts at the Vicente Calderon in the past few years, particularly, the loaning out of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, will also play a significant factor in making the speculated deal materialise.

All that remains is for Chelsea to meet Costa's release clause, which is suggested to be around £32million, since it will be highly unlikely that Atleti will listen to their rumoured £27million bid.

For more football news, follow IBTimes Sport on Twitter.