Juventus player Douglas Costa is interested in a summer move to Gremio despite links with Premier League duo Leeds United and Everton, the Brazilian club’s manager told Calciomercato.
At the age of just 30, the jet-heeled winger still has a lot to offer. In truth, it seems a little early for Costa to bring the curtain down on a trophy-laden decade in European football.
Nonetheless, after falling out of favour at Juventus, and struggling to make his mark on loan at Bayern Munich, the Brazil international has shown genuine interest in retracing his roots and returning to where it all began.
Costa started his footballing life as a budding youngster at Gremio all the way back in 2002.
And, with Juventus ready to part with a winger they paid £37 million for just three years ago, the Tricolor are dreaming of seeing Costa don the iconic blue, black and white shirt for the first time since 2010.
“I have spoken to Douglas Costa several times and he has shown interest,” said Gremio boss Renato Portaluppi.
“The interest is there, but there is also the economic part and that depends on the club.”
According to Calciomercato, Juventus are weighing up whether or not to terminate the final 12 months of Costa’s £165,000-a-week wages. Gremio’s hopes may rest solely on whether their prodigal son is permitted to depart the reigning Serie A champions on a free transfer.
The report adds that Leeds will offer Costa – a league champion in Germany, Italy and Ukraine – the chance to test himself in England with Marcelo Bielsa a huge fan of the forward’s supreme technical abilities.
TuttoJuve, meanwhile, reports that Everton have also been offered the chance to snap up a man who played under Carlo Ancelotti during his first spell at Bayern.
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