According to Caught Offside, Manchester United and Arsenal are keeping a close eye on Porto right-back Alberto Costa after a brilliant debut season.
Costa signed for the Portuguese giants from Juventus last year, and he had a brilliant debut campaign, registering 1 goal and 9 assists from 47 appearances in all competitions.
His progress has caught the eye of Man United and Arsenal. No formal bid has been made with the current focus on scouting the player and analysing whether he would suit them.
Costa has a release clause worth £56 million in his Porto contract. Juventus previously sold him for around £13 million and are owed 10 percent of any future profit from his sale.
Agent-driven
Costa made a big impression in his debut campaign for Porto. The Portuguese made 10 goal contributions from right-back and showcased his qualities in an attacking capacity for his club.
He was also efficient with his defensive attributes. He won more than 5 duels per Primeira Liga game last season, while registering 2 tackles, 4 recoveries and almost 2 clearances on average.
Hence, he has hardly put a foot wrong at Porto, but we still believe the speculation could be agent-driven in trying to secure a bigger club. We doubt United or Arsenal will pursue his signature.
Arsenal currently have Jurrien Timber and Ben White as right-back options. The latter’s future was uncertain earlier this summer, but Timber’s injury meant that he stayed put in the end.
Newcastle’s Tino Livramento was a top target for the London giants, but the Englishman also picked up an injury of his own which may have influenced Arsenal to keep hold of White for another year.
If Arsenal were to pursue a new right-back, they could seek to replace White with Livramento. Similarly, United may prefer a league-based option over securing a new solution from abroad.
Diogo Dalot seems an undisputed starter, but Noussair Mazraoui could depart for more playing time. In that case, United could pursue a new signing to provide serious competition to Dalot.
Someone like Brentford’s Michael Kayode would be a superb addition to the squad for both United and Arsenal. We doubt the pair would be prepared to spend anywhere close to the clause for Costa.
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