With the Jadon Sancho negotiations not yielding any noteworthy results, it seems that the clubs have reached an impasse since the last couple of weeks. Manchester United have now contacted the Italian champions over signing Douglas Costa this summer.
The Red Devils are once again being held up by a selling club holding out for a hefty fee. According to Italian publication Calciomercato, the Serie A giants are holding out for a mammoth £53m fee for the 29-year-old injury-prone star. The report also suggests that Manchester United are reluctant to pay any amount north of £27 million for the Brazilian winger.
The 29-year-old has been with Juventus since 2017, having signed from Bayern Munich, initially on loan, before completing a £36m move a year later. However, he hasn’t played a much notable part in Juventus’ recent glories. Costa just started seven league games for Juventus last season and only contributed to a single goal and five assists in the 23 appearances he made last season.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time that United are looking to sign him. Sir Alex Ferguson saw some potential and wanted to sign him from Shakhtar Donetsk towards the end of his reign but the Brazilian instead went on to join the Bavarian champions.
Costa has previously proven his worth and is undoubtedly a champion of a performer, but is inevitably entering his thirties. Spending a sum north of £50 million on a player who has spent a major part of his time in the past couple of seasons on the treatment tables doesn’t make any sense.
Nevertheless, he remains on United’s list of potential alternatives to Sancho, with Bayer Leverkusen’s Leon Bailey and Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman both believed to be on Solskjaer’s radar as well.
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