Diego Costa sentenced to six months in prison and fined for tax fraud - but Atletico star will avoid jail term

Atletico Madrid forward Diego Costa has been hit with a €540,000 (£482,370) fine for tax evasion, but the Spain striker will avoid a jail term.

The 31-year-old pleaded guilty in a Madrid court on Thursday to the charges, relating to €1.1million (£980,000) in unpaid taxes on his image rights dating back to 2014.

Costa paid the outstanding amount in full last year and will now need to shell out an additional penalty of €543,208 (£485,239) on top of that sum.

However, the Brazil-born striker will avoid time in prison as Spanish law dictates that all sentences under two years for non-violent crimes can be suspended and replaced with a fine.

A number of high-profile players from LaLiga have been found guilty of tax fraud in recent years, including Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric, Marcelo and Javier Mascherano.

Costa has managed just 19 appearances and two goals in an injury-hit season so far for Atleti, but will be expected to feature more when LaLiga returns later this month.

Information from Reuters was used in this report.