Are Manchester United about to Splash out on Douglas Costa?

Manchester United have perhaps looked enviously at their closest rivals and realised that they also need to add some Brazilian flair to their ranks. Manchester City have Gabriel Jesus and Fernandinho, while Liverpool have Roberto Firmino and recently captured Fabinho. Reports suggest that Jose Mourinho may be about to swoop for another hot talent from the South American nation in Douglas Costa.

According to the Metro, the United boss is about to offer Bayern Munich £79 million in an effort to sign their versatile winger. The Brazilian would significantly bolster Mourinho’s attacking options and help the Red Devils muster a more convincing title challenge in the 2018-19 Premier League campaign.

Costa was on loan at Juventus last term and became a crucial component of the side which stormed to their 34^th Serie A title. The Italian giants will have to find a replacement for the 27-year-old but are still expected to defend their title. At the time of writing, the Turin club are 3/4 in the Serie A betting to top the division again.

Costa made the loan move to Juventus last season after finding himself out of favour under the stewardship of Carlo Ancelotti. During his time with the Old Lady, the attacker shone in the Italian top flight and racked up seven goals and 13 assists. This earned him a call-up to Tite’s World Cup squad for Russia, where he will compete with the likes of Willian and Paulinho for a place in Brazil’s attack.

Since earning his first call-up to the Brazil squad in November of 2014, Costa has only appeared in one major international tournament. This was the 2015 Copa America in Chile. The Bayern Munich man was selected for the Copa America Centario in the United States in 2016 but had to withdraw due to a thigh injury. At this time, the young player was replaced by a veteran of the international squad in Kaka. The 2007 Ballon d’Or winner unfortunately also picked up an injury and was unable to compete in the tournament. This signified the end of his incredible 14-year tenure in the Brazil side.

Mourinho will undoubtedly be watching Costa closely in this summer’s tournament as the player aims to break into the formidable Brazilian starting XI. There should be plenty of opportunities to see him in action, as the Canarinho are expected to go all the way in the tournament as red-hot favourites.

As Firmino and Jesus have shown, the Premier League is a prime location for Brazilian players to thrive. Their skill and flair on the ball is ideally suited to bamboozling opposition defences and breaking through on goal.

Mourinho will have looked at the teams closest to him in the league last term and come to the conclusion that his rivals did better business in the transfer market. For this reason, the Portuguese tactician desperately needs to get it right with his summer signings. Costa is a readymade player who could flourish in United’s setup, and would surely enhance their chances of claiming silverware in 2018-19.