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The final few weeks before the transfer window shuts are likely to be somewhat active--Liverpool still need to strengthen in a few different areas, and with their bid for Diego Costa lodged at the end of last week, it looks as though they're hoping to add both goals and the ruthlessness (just hopefully not too ruthless given the player's reputation) in attack they'll need whether or not Luis Suarez sticks around. Costa and Atlético have been away on a preseason tour of South America over the past few weeks, but upon returning the Brazilian striker was asked about the speculation that he'd be headed to Anfield in the near future (first in English, then in Spanish):
"I know, here I am well , here I'm happy . Not really I have to say ... As I have been in Argentina and Uruguay have not heard anything about this. I'm happy here, if the club wants to be here, I'll be here. I think the coach has all of us here, not just me. Know how important it is to keep the group also knows people."
"No sé, aquí estoy bien, aquí estoy feliz. La verdad, no tengo qué decir... Como he estado en Argentina y Uruguay no he escuchado nada de esto. Aquí soy feliz, si el club quiere que esté aquí, aquí voy a estar. Creo que el míster cuenta con todos los que estamos aquí, no sólo conmigo. Sabe lo importante que es mantener el grupo, la gente también lo sabe".
Regardless of the language, it seems to be typical transfer season talk--everyone's happy where they're at until they've left, which we saw over the past year with Philippe Coutinho and Fabio Borini. That's not to say that Costa's comments should be completely dismissed, just that it's very, very rare to have a player asked directly about a transfer and respond with an answer that actually means anything. Few and far between are the times when a player owns up to being excited about a move prior to making that move; once someone's signed we hear about how it was a deal he couldn't wait to get done once he'd heard about it, comments that often contradict answers like the ones Costa made above.
With both clubs now back at their respective home bases, hopefully this one wraps up sometime in the near future. Ideally it's the first of a few more before August is up, and with Stoke's visit creeping closer, it would be nice if Liverpool were able to get some sort of business done over the next week and a half.