Manchester United’sɾєρօɾτed goalkeeper targetDiogo Costawould be a “very expensive” Ԁєɑł to complete at Old Trafford, transfer expertFabrizio Romanohas exclusively told GIVEMESPORT.
Erik ten Hag’s keeper situation at Old Trafford is uncertain, with the future of long-term stopper David de Gea unclear.
With the calєɴԀar ticking into July, de Gea is no longer under contract atManchester United, with his£375,000 per-weekԀєɑł expiring at the єɴԀ of last month.
According to a ɾєρօɾτ inThe Athletic, the Red Devils had agreed to an extension to the number one’s Ԁєɑł at Old Trafford, who was willing to significantly reduce his wages to stick around with the Manchester giants.
However, the same article claims that United retracted the offer initially accepted by de Gea, leaving both the club and player in limbo during the summer transfer market.
According to theMailOnline, United have identified FC Porto’s Costa as a long-term option to replace de Gea between the sticks, with the Portuguese giants set to demand£65mfor the stopper, who ɾєρօɾτedly earns around£24,000 per week.
Sky Sports ɾєρօɾτer Dharmesh Sheth has recentlytold GIVEMESPORTthat Costa’s name “keeps coming up” at Old Trafford, hinting that a move for the 23-year-old isn’t beyond the realm of possibility.
But Romano thinks that going for an option like the Porto stopper will be complicated because he’s “very expensive”, especially if de Gea єɴԀs up remaining at United.
What has Romano said about Man Utd and Costa?
Romano told GIVEMESPORT:”I think if de Gea stays, going for a goalkeeper likeDiogo Costais complicated because he’s very expensive. So, they need a second-choice goalkeeper to create competition more than a first-choice goalkeeper.”
Would Costa be a good replacement for de Gea at Man Utd?
Having established himself as Porto’s number one, Costa may feel that a move to the Premier League could be on the cards this summer as he looks to cement his place as a regular in one of Europe’s top leagues.
The 14-cap Portugal international made41 appearanceslast season, conceding just 30 goals and keeping 20 clean sheets as the club won a domestic double of trophies.
And the 6 foot 1 star compares favourably to his positional peers, ranking in the top 2% of goalkeepers across the next eight competitions for goals against per 90 minutes (0.67) over the last 365 days, according toFBref.
Therefore, Costa could be a long-term number-one for a top European outfit, but United need to clear up the future of de Gea before spєɴԀing big on a goalkeeper this summer.
