Porto have “offered” goalkeeper Diogo Costa to Chelsea, Manchester United and a number of other teams, according to 90min.com journalist Graeme Bailey.
It is believed that due to FFP, Porto need to raise around £45m before the end of June, and they have been trying to offload Costa to interested clubs:
Diogo Costa has been offered to clubs around Europe, due to fears about Porto’s finances.
Porto need to raise money and now suitors Chelsea and Man United, have been made aware that a deal could be on the horizon.@90min_Football with @TomGott2
— Graeme Bailey (@GraemeBailey) June 28, 2023
Costa’s release clause is reportedly €75m (£65m) but it seems pretty clear that Porto would be prepared to negotiate on that figure, as long as they receive a sizeable amount up front.
Reports in Portugal earlier this week had claimed that Chelsea were considering making a bid for Costa in three separate instalments, but 90min say the Blues are still considering alternative transfer targets.
Which other goalkeepers are Chelsea looking at?
AC Milan’s Mike Maignan has been heavily linked in recent days, but his club could hold out for a sizeable fee (similar to Costa’s) which may put the Blues off from making an offer.
The London club have already turned their nose up on making a move for Inter Milan’s Andre Onana for a similar reason, with the Nerazzurri demanding in excess of €50m (£43m) for the Cameroon international.
Valencia’s Giorgi Mamardashvili is also being considered and, out of the three alternatives to Costa, he would be the cheapest to sign.
Costa could be looked at again later in the summer
If Porto are as desperate to sell players as it seems, there is a possibility that they will lower their demands for Costa as we get closer to the end of the transfer window.
At 23 years of age, and having been capped 11 times by Portugal, Costa would be an excellent addition, so we shall see how this story unfolds.
