Why Man Utd have an advantage for Diogo Costa
Karan Tejwani
- 11 Nov 2022 08:25 GMT
- 3 min read
Manchester United are in the market for a new goalkeeper and they’ve identified Porto’s Diogo Costa as one of their top targets for the position in upcoming transfer windows.
The Porto shot-stopper has enjoyed a rapid rise over the last year, becoming Porto and Portugal’s undisputed number one and his stock could well rise further at the World Cup.
As a result, he’s been attracting interest from Europe’s top clubs, but Manchester United seem ahead in the race as they’ve been watching him intensively for the last few months.
READ: Who is Diogo Costa? The Porto goalkeeper on Man Utd's radar
Now, they will feel they have an advantage in the bid to get him as their relationship with his agent, Jorge Mendes, is quite good and can work in their favour.
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Man Utd have strong interest in Costa
Manchester United have a good relationship with Jorge Mendes, having done several deals with him and his agency over the years, benefitting them aplenty.
Costa signed a new contract with Porto earlier this month, extending his deal until 2027 and more significantly, raising his release clause to €75 million.
READ: Man Utd 'at the head' of the queue for Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa
That hasn’t deterred Manchester United’s interest – it was reported last week that they asked Mendes to inform them of any bids for Costa, signaling their intent and showing how much they want him.
They wish to replace David de Gea, who is in the final months of his contract and there is no clarity whether he will get an extension to continue his stay at the club beyond the current season.
Costa has shown all the attributes of a goalkeeper that would work well under manager Erik ten Hag – his confidence and distribution is widely admired by many.
Diogo Costa penalty save, part 3! @FCPorto || #UCL pic.twitter.com/jWTwe6lPN8
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) October 28, 2022
Additionally, he’s also a good penalty stopper, showing that in the Champions League this season where he stopped three penalties in the group stage.
Manchester United will have to spend big to land their man and they are keen to get him, as evident by their recent actions.
