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Manchester United’s goalkeeping situation has been a point of debate throughout the season, with David de Gea‘s performance coming under increasing scrutiny.
His mistakes against Manchester City in the FA Cup final, along with some damning season statistics, have underlined his lack of suitability to Erik ten Hag’s preferred style of play.
Nevertheless, the Spaniard is expected to prolong his stay at Old Trafford, although United are yet to sign off on his new contract.
That has led to speculation that a new goalkeeper is wanted to take over as first choice under Ten Hag, with Diogo Costa the top target.
Despite earlier reports indicating that United would not have a sizeable budget to recruit a top keeper, a recent A Bola article suggests that a deal is looking more likely
The Portugal star is known to have a €75m release clause in his contract, but paying that amount of money up front would not be of much interest to Man united, given their urgent needs elsewhere in the squad.
But Erik ten Hag is said to have been “fascinated” by Costa’s performances this season, and FC Porto’s current financial situation means that a deal could materialise at a lower price..
The Dragons need to raise €50m by the end of the month, as Fernando Gomes, administrator in charge of finance, reported a few days ago.
Porto’s need to balance their books before the end of their accounting year presents an unmissable opportunity for United, and one which they must be quick to act on.
While they are currently standing firm on their €75m price tag, the current state of play would suggest that there is indeed a scenario in which Porto will be forced to be flexible on their ask.
Man United could take advantage of this situation to solve what has been a problem position for The Red Devils for some time now.
At 23 years of age, the Portuguese star could become the next great goalkeeper to walk out at Old Trafford, and would potentially offer over a decade of stability between the sticks.
Diogo Costa and Erik ten Hag looks like a match made in heaven. The Porto keeper has conceded just 19 goals all season at the Estadio de Dragao, is exceptional in playing out from the back, and – just as an added bonus – is a bit of a penalty-saving specialist.
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