Bayern Munich have no plans to keep Juventus loanee Douglas Costa beyond this season with Leeds United interested in the Brazil international, as reported by Kicker.
After falling out of favour in Turin, Costa’s decision to rejoin the perennial Bundesliga champions in summer 2020 looks a strange one in hindsight.
After all, Bayern already had two of the most rampant wingers in world football on their books in Champions League-winning duo Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry.
That’s without mentioning Leroy Sane, the £55 million marquee signing from Manchester City.
So 30-year-old Costa was always going to find opportunities hard to come by at the Allianz Arena. And so it has proved.
Since September he has started just three Bundesliga games, with another eight appearances coming from the bench.
In truth, Costa hasn’t come close to replicating the impact of his first spell at Bayern, one in which he blossomed into a “top quality” talent under Pep Guardiola.
Kicker claims the newly crowned champions of the world have no plans to keep Costa beyond May.
The £37 million winger looks set for a return to Juventus but, having been ditched by Andrea Pirlo once already, it seems unlikely his long-term future lies in Italy either.
Last week, JuveLive reported Leeds had identified Costa as a potential replacement for fellow Brazilian Raphinha, the £18 million whizzkid who has caught the eye of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.
Costa, on his day, is still a genuinely world-class operator – one who has won almost all there is to win.
But, at the age of 30, how much longer does a player known for his explosive acceleration have at the very top level?
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