La Liga heavyweights Barcelona have reportedly been offered the chance to sign 33-year-old Spanish international Diego Costa in a deadline day move.
According to a report by Spanish publication SPORT, Barcelona’s search for a striker could end on deadline day. The Catalan giants have been offered the chance to sign 33-year-old Spanish international Diego Costa in a late swoop. The veteran striker will join on a free transfer if signed after terminating his contract with Atletico Mineiro.
Diego Costa first burst onto the limelight nearly a decade ago, when he established himself as one of the best strikers in La Liga during his first stint with Atletico Madrid. The 33-year-old’s stock skyrocketed after joining Chelsea in July 2014, with the striker playing a pivotal role in the Blues’ two Premier League triumphs during his stay.
Since leaving Chelsea, instability has been the name of the game for Costa, as he has terminated his contract with two clubs – Atletico Madrid and Atletico Mineiro – during this time. The Spanish international had a decent spell with the Brazilian outfit, scoring five goals in 19 games and winning the Brasileiro and the Copa do Brasil.
After calling it quits at Atletico Mineiro, the veteran striker has been keen on returning to Europe. Specifically, Costa is eager to play in La Liga once again and has been linked with plenty of clubs to that end. But it seems like his next destination could be Barcelona if he has his way.
The Catalan giants have been desperately scouring the transfer market for a striker this month, as Sergio Aguero’s premature retirement has left Xavi Hernandez short of quality options in the final third. While Martin Braithwaite and Luuk de Jong have chipped in with important goals in their Barcelona stints, neither is reliable as a regular option.
As a result, several strikers have been linked with Barcelona, with Alvaro Morata being their priority for a long time. But with several obstacles standing in Barcelona’s way, they set their sights on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang recently, with all the parties even reaching an agreement to complete a late move.
The transfer has not materialised yet, which is why Costa has emerged as a possible fallback option for a deadline day swoop. But to complete any striker’s arrival, Barcelona will first need to offload Ousmane Dembele, who has reportedly reached a verbal agreement to join Paris Saint-Germain. All in all, Barcelona’s hopes of signing a striker this month hang in the balance, with Costa on their radar.
