Manchester United still want to sign Diogo Costa to replace David de Gea, although FC Porto are adamant that the goalkeeper will not leave midseason unless his release clause is met.
According to Correio da Manhã (via SportsWitness), President Pinto da Costa will not entertain any offers below €75m this January.
That is unlikely to surprise anybody, with Costa integral to Porto’s impressive Champions League run so far this season.
The Portugal number one only recently signed a contract extension to 2027 and in doing so raised his minimum fee release clause from €60m to the aforementioned €75m.
It is quite possible that the new deal was signed specifically to dissuade bidders approaching Costa for a January transfer, as the former price may well have been in reach to clubs in need of a new keeper.
Man United could be chief among those clubs, with De Gea’s contract set to expire at the end of the current season.
While the club do have an option to extend the Spaniard’s deal by a further twelve months, they are unlikely to trigger that clause and commit themselves to paying £375,000 a week for another year.
A fresh deal on reduced term is still a possibility as United continue to work to restore sensibility to their wage structure.
But should De Gea be on his way out, the goalkeeping department will require significant investment, with Martin Dubravka leaving at the end of his loan, Tom Heaton’s contract also expiring, and on-loan Dean Henderson having surely burnt his bridges at Old Trafford.
At 23 years of age, Diogo Costa represents a fantastic long-term solution to the number one spot at United, although with the squad in need of reinforcements in multiple areas a huge fee would be something of a barrier.
That would be doubly true in January, with the Red Devils focusing on strengthening their attack and perhaps adding a right back after a £227m splurge in the summer.
It does not seem likely that De Gea would be replaced in January. The player has been performing well and adapting to some of Erik ten Hag’s methods.
Bringing in an alternative midseason would take a significant outlay at a time when the goalkeeping position is not (quite) yet an absolute priority.
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