In the summer, Manchester United will seek to strengthen their team in several positions, and the goalkeeper will replace David de Gea, a potential option that Eric ten Hag may consider.
The Spaniard spent several excellent seasons at Old Trafford, but came under scrutiny due to poor distribution and lack of presence in his team.
As discussed by The Peoples Person last week, De Gea’s shot-stopping performance this season is also yielding very poor results, and given that his giant contract expires in the summer, it may be time to switch to another goalkeeper.
Brentford’s David Raya has recently been mentioned as a potential target, but if there is one player United would no doubt like to bring in, it is Porto’s Diogo Costa.
Last night, the Portuguese performed brilliantly in the Dragons’ match against Inter Milan in the second leg of the 1/8 Champions League final.
Given that Manchester United scouts are known to be “constantly present” at the Estadio do Dragau, Costa will undoubtedly attract attention — and not for the first time this season.
Despite dominating the second leg, Porto failed to achieve a breakthrough, which means their Champions League campaign is over.
But Kostya has something to be proud of during the campaign: he deflected three penalties in the group stage, made a fantastic save and even made an assist just in case.
He was a confident presence against Inter as well, making five important saves that gave Porto a chance to reach the quarter-finals.
The 99th number was positive and active in moving away from his line, whether it was a jerk or a cross demand.
But perhaps his most impressive quality that night was his ability to own the ball.
Costa played ten successful long forward passes, often provoking dangerous attacks as Porto struggled to deny Inter their 1-0 lead on aggregate.
With 75 touches, he was one of Porto’s most active players with the ball, calm and collected when under pressure, and always happy to get the ball.
For reference, against Betis, in a match dominated by Manchester United, De Gea made only 30 touches and only once found his fellow red devil with a long pass.
Diogo Costa has a set of skills that would make him almost the perfect player for Eric ten Haga, and at 23 he could secure a goalkeeper position at Old Trafford for ten years.
The real question is, can Manchester United afford such a goalkeeper, especially when his club can point to a 75 million euro buyout clause?
