Manchester United are keeping tabs on Juventus winger Douglas Costa, according to Sky Sports.
United have been locked in negotiations with Borussia Dortmund over a potential transfer of Jadon Sancho, but the talks have apparently hit a formidable obstacle in the form of Dortmund’s asking price.
The Bundesliga side have made it clear that no bid under their demand of €120 million for the 20-year-old England international would be accepted, and what’s more, they had given United a deadline to complete the deal by August 10th, which is now over a week gone. Consequently, Sancho has rejoined his teammates as Dortmund prepare for the start of the 2020/21 season.
Some reports suggested that United were looking at Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman as an alternative, but now it seems their focus is shifting again.
Though playing in the same primary position and boasting similar versatility as Sancho, Costa is a much different prospect to the former Manchester City youngster. At the age of 29, he isn’t likely to cost nearly as much, with Transfermarkt valuing him at €24m.
Costa started only seven Serie A games in 2019/20 for Juventus, and came on as a substitute 16 times. With that in mind, it’s no wonder he only managed three goals and seven assists in 29 appearances in all competitions. Further more, the Brazilian has been struggling with various muscular issues throughout the campaign.
When fully fit, Costa is certainly able to produce moments of brilliance on the pitch, but looking at the big picture, signing him would hardly compensate for missing out on a player like Sancho.
The Dortmund man remains the first name on United’s wish list for the time being, but whether a compromise between the clubs will be found remains to be seen.
