Juventus have confirmed the signing of Douglas Costa on a four-year deal, with the Brazilian snubbing Manchester United to join the Serie A side.
Juventus have made an official statement to confirm that they have completed the permanent transfer of Douglas Costa from Bayern Munich on a four-year deal. The Bianconeri have shelled out €40 million to secure the services of the Brazilian winger, who was also being courted by Manchester United.
Douglas Costa joined Bayern Munich from Shakhtar Donetsk in the summer of 2015, arriving in Germany with a lot of hype surrounding his talent. The player had enjoyed a fine debut campaign at the Allianz Arena before seeing his stature reduced at the club in the following season.
The subsequent summer, in 2017, saw Costa join Juventus on a season-long loan spell, and he enjoyed tremendous success at the Allianz Stadium this past season. In 47 appearances across all competitions, the Brazil international scored 6 goals while also providing 14 assists (the second most in Serie A), taking no time to establish himself as a key figure for the Bianconeri.
But, while he had been an instant success at Juventus, there were a few uncertainties regarding his future at the club. With a slim opportunity of securing his services in the summer transfer window, Manchester United leaped into action, scouring the possibility of signing Costa, and for good reason.
For well over a year now, Jose Mourinho has been in search of a right-sided winger, with Manchester United not boasting any player who could be deployed naturally on the right flank. As a result, the manager had been forced to play the likes of Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial on the right wing, with neither setting the stage alight in an unfamiliar position.
Juan Mata, thus, remained the only player who could make some sort of impact while playing from the right flank and even he prefers drifting in and taking up more central positions. Costa was, thus, a viable target for Manchester United, with the Brazilian also capable of providing some much needed pacy outlet.
But, Manchester United’s bid to land the player depended on whether Juventus exercising their option to make his deal permanent by paying up €40 million to Bayern Munich. As it now turns out, the Serie A champions have done just that, vindicating Giuseppe Marotta’s recent comments.
The Brazil international’s last club commitment before jetting off for Russia with the National Side was to sign the four-year deal. As far as Manchester United are concerned, they must now set their sights elsewhere in search of a right winger.
