The Brazilian attacking midfielder is set to be Bayern Municha s third signing of the summer following the recruitment of Stuttgart duo Joshua Kimmich and Sven Ulreich.
Pep Guardiola has reportedly decided to make his first big-money signing of the summer, with German sports channel SPORT1 reporting that a verbal agreement is in place between the Bundesliga champions and the Braziliana s current employers Shakhtar Donetsk.
A fee of a 35m has allegedly been agreed between the clubs, with official confirmation imminent. Douglas Costa a who is currently away on international duty with Brazil at the Copa America in Chile a is expected to sign a four-year contract with the Bavarian giants.
Douglas Costaa s versatility means that he is capable of playing in any of the three positions behind the striker, or indeed on either side of the striker in a supporting role in a 4-3-3. Given that the likes of Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben are not getting any younger, Costa presents a more long-term solution in terms of Guardiolaa s attacking options.
35 Millionen! @FCBayern holt Douglas #Costa! http://t.co/zZf66b9was pic.twitter.com/vV9nHFME4G
a SPORT1 (@SPORT1) June 25, 2015
The 24-year-old had been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League, but it appears as though his immediate future lies in Germany. If the deal were to go through for the reported price, he would be the second most expensive import in Bundesliga history a behind only Javi Martinez who moved to Bayern Munich for a 40m in 2012.
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Costa has not been a particularly prolific goal-scorer at Shakhtar Donetsk a scoring just 37 times in nearly 200 appearances for the club a and has only recently made a breakthrough into Dungaa s Brazil side. However, he is indubitably extremely talented and could potentially flourish playing alongside players of a much higher quality and under a manager of Guardiolaa s stature.
The Brazilian has been desperately, and quite openly, seeking a move away from Ukraine for a while a with Chelsea in particular piquing his interest as a possible destination a and even though Costa will have to compete for his place in the side given the quality Bayern Munich possess in their squad, it appears as though he has finally got the big move he has always wanted.
