Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has denied suggestions that striker Diego Costa was omitted from his squad to face Leicester City because of a training ground dispute.
The 28-year-old is said to have had a falling-out with a member of the Blues' backroom staff in training earlier this week over concerns about his fitness levels.
A number of reports also emerged on Friday claiming that Costa had been made the subject of a bid by an unnamed Chinese club, who were planning to make him the highest-paid player in world football.
Conte has questioned the truth of the articles, however, and says that he is unaware of any official bid being made for the Premier League's joint-top scorer.
"I think before the game I told the truth and I repeat the truth because I like to and I don't lie," BBC Sport quotes him as saying. "Diego stopped his training Tuesday because he felt a pain in his back, for this reason he was not available. This is the truth."
When asked whether a bid had been lodged, Conte responded: "I don't know about this because I repeat the truth is what I told you before. Now we see in the next week.
"I think that you said if there are problems, I prefer to solve them in the changing room not at a press conference if, and I repeat if, there are problems."
Costa, now level with Alexis Sanchez at the top of the scoring charts with 14 goals, recently admitted that he was hoping to return to former club Atletico Madrid last summer.
Daniel Lewis
