Reported Leeds United and Wolverhampton Wanderers target Douglas Costa is leaving Juventus this summer, the winger’s agent has told UOL.
Now, at risk of tempering the excitement a bit, it seems unlikely the Premier League will be saying ola to a £165,000-a-week Brazil international at this stage.
In March, Calciomercato reported Marcelo Bielsa is a huge Costa fan, believing the Bundesliga and Serie A winner would be a massive hit at Elland Road with his searing speed, pinpoint crossing and staggering technical ability.
Wolves, meanwhile, were willing to pay a knock-down, £9 million fee with Costa’s contract expiring in 2021 (CM).
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side once again looked laboured and predictable for long spells of yesterday’s 2-0 defeat at Tottenham. No wonder they are interested in a player who, during his first spell at Bayern Munich, was arguably the most exciting winger in the world.
But while Costa is almost certain to leave Juventus – with the Serie A giants willing to terminate his eye-watering contract – the 30-year-old is expected to snub offers from England in favour of an emotional return to the club where he started his career more than a decade ago.
“The situation will be defined in the coming days,” agent Junior Mendoza said when asked whether Costa was heading back to Gremio.
“I worked hard day and night to arrive at a positive outcome of the negotiation. The parties are committed to making the operation feasible, respecting the existing contracts with Juve.
“Douglas’s will is no secret to anyone. As soon as there is news, the clubs will announce it.”
Speaking last week, Gremio vice-president Marcos Herrmann confirmed Costa had been in talks regarding a return to his homeland.
The former Shakhtar Donetsk star is even willing to take a “tremendous” pay cut to make the deal happen.
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