Atletico Madrid have reaffirmed their commitment to keeping hold of Diego Costa despite interest from Liverpool.
Brendan Rodgers' side made a £21.8 million bid for the Brazilian forward last week, but the Madrid club insisted he was not for sale.
Now Atletico's sporting director Jose Luis Caminero has reiterated the club's stance on the 24-year-old, who scored 20 goals in all competitions last season.
Speaking to AS, Caminero said: "Diego Costa is a very important player for Atletico, we value him very highly and we are convinced that this year he is going to score a lot of goals with Atletico. He is an idol for the fans."
Pressed on whether Costa would stay at he club, he added: "Yes, he's going to continue."
Caminero's comments follow Costa's own declarations that he was intent on remaining at Atletico, who finished last season in third place in La Liga. The club qualified automatically for the Champions League, and won the Copa del Rey, with Costa scoring in the final against rivals Real Madrid.
Speaking to AS at Madrid Barajas airport as the team returned from their pre-season tour of South America, Costa said: "As I've been in Argentina and Uruguay I've not heard anything about this.
"I'm happy here, if the club want me to be here, I'm going to be here.
"I think that the coach (Diego Simeone) counts on all of us, not just me. He knows how important it is to maintain the squad, the fans know it as well."
The club are reluctant to lose Costa after Radamal Falcao, their top scorer last term with 28 league goals, joined Monaco at the start of the summer.
Source: PA
