Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo has revealed that the club regrets selling striker Diego Costa to Chelsea, after receiving just £16m from the transfer.
The Spain international moved from Madrid to London in a £32m deal last summer, after helping Atletico to their first La Liga title in 18 years and also guiding them to the Champions League final.
Costa has hit the ground running at Chelsea, scoring nine goals in his first eight matches in the Premier League, and is finally looking like an able long-term replacement for club legend Didier Drogba.
However, Cerezo has now stated that the deal was a poor one for the Rojiblancos as the club received only half the fee from Chelsea's bid, with the other half understood to have gone to a third party, which co-owned the 26-year-old's rights with Atletico.
With Costa' release clause set at €40m [£32m], Atletico were in a weak position and were not able to push for a bigger transfer fee, to cover the loss suffered due to the player's third party ownership, the Spaniard pointed out.
"He is one of the best strikers in the world. His departure was hastened because we had a weak moment in which we couldn't say no," Cerezo stressed.
"If it was to happen now, he wouldn't go. The economic issue hasn't been good for us as we got 50 per cent of what was said. It was more about money for him."
Cerezo also criticised Sergio Aguero for leaving Atletico for Manchester City in a £38m deal back in 2011, labelling the departure as "stupid", as he feels the Argentine could have spent a few more years in the Spanish capital and left as a legend.
"Aguero had the chance to leave the club as a legend. But the way he made his exit was stupid," Goal quoted the Rojiblancos' chief.
Aguero and Costa are currently leading the Premier League top scorers' charts, with 10 and nine goals respectively, though Radamel Falcao - another high-profile ex-Atletico hitman - is yet to find his feet in England.
