La Liga heavyweights Barcelona are reportedly considering Diogo Costa, a target for Manchester United, as a long-term replacement for Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Diogo Costa is the subject of interest from Barcelona over a possible move in the 2023 summer transfer window. The FC Porto goalkeeper is also a target for Manchester United and Juventus.
Diogo Costa began his youth career with CB Povoa Lanhoso before joining FC Porto as a 12-year-old. The Portuguese international has not looked back since then, establishing himself as a pivotal figure for club and country. The player enjoyed his breakthrough at Porto last season and is now the first-choice goalkeeper for the Dragons.
The 23-year-old is enjoying a solid 2022/23 season, keeping eight clean sheets in 15 games thus far. And he should be Portugal’s first-choice goalkeeper at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Costa’s progress has not gone unnoticed either, with Barcelona and Manchester United setting their sights on him.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen has been much improved in the 2022/23 season thus far. But the German goalkeeper has been error-prone in the last few seasons, thus keeping Barcelona interested in the goalkeepers’ market. Costa has thus emerged on the Catalan club’s radar.
According to the report, Barcelona will look to sign the 23-year-old Portuguese international next summer, with ter Stegen possibly leaving. But the Blaugrana will have to fend off stiff competition from Manchester United to sign Costa.
At Manchester United, Erik ten Hag’s issue with David de Gea is the Spaniard’s ineptness with the ball at his feet. While de Gea has been a solid customer when stopping shots from the opposition players, he is a liability when building play from the back. Costa has thus emerged on Manchester United’s radar. Meanwhile, discussions over a new deal between de Gea and the English club are on hold.
Recent reports have even claimed that the Red Devils are the front-runners to sign the Portuguese international. Meanwhile, Juventus will also compete with Manchester United and Barcelona for the FC Porto goalkeeper.
The Serie A giants have also shown interest in de Gea, and the Spaniard could leave Manchester United next summer. So the race to sign Costa will likely heat up in the coming months, especially if de Gea and ter Stegen have a sub-par second half of the season.
