Arsenal & Tottenham Make Audacious Moves For Unsettled Brazilian Forward

The summer transfer window is now open for business and it’s expected to be a busy few weeks as managers strengthen their squads ahead of next season, so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip. Today, Arsenal and Tottenham are linked with Douglas Costa.

Arsenal and Tottenham have made audacious attempts to land Douglas Costa on a season long-loan after the forward made it clear he didn’t want to go back to war-torn Ukraine, according to reports.

Costa is one of six first-team players who are refusing to return to Shakhtar Donetsk due to Ukraine’s on-going conflict with neighbours Russia.

The 23-year-old took to his Instagram page to confirm that he’s spoken with officials at the club and told them the players are staying in Switzerland until it’s safe to return back to the region.

The Brazilian forward explained that although they have no problem playing for Shakhtar, the players fear for the safety of their families and need to work in risk-free conditions.

Alongside an image of the Shakhtar badge, Costa wrote:

“I want to clarify that I am not abandoning the club. I’m afraid. Everything we read, see or hear is that the situation in the country is quite complicated. We do not know under what conditions we can train much less where to play.”

“I have no problem at Shakhtar. I like the club, the people, the city, but I’m afraid of other conflict situations and eventually a trip when we part of our family, something worse happens. I regret that all this is happening, but at this time we all run the risk of life if we are in the region.”

“We talked with the leaders and we proposed to remain in Switzerland to train until this situation is resolved. We want to stay at the club but need to have a working conditions without risk, “

Shakhtar owner Rinat Akhmetov says that despite the unrest, he’s not going to be pressured into selling off the clubs star players, insisting ‘there won’t be a clearance sale.’, and warned the players they face fines if they don’t return to the club soon.

“If they don’t come then in the first instance they will suffer,” Akhmetov is quoted as saying by the Mail

However, with the situation between Ukraine and Russia showing no signs of easing any time soon, the club are faced with a difficult decision over how best to proceed with the Ukrainian Premier League due to start on Friday.

It looks like Arsenal and Spurs have come up with a solution that may suit all parties as the Daily Mail claim the London duo have offered Costa an escape route in the form of a season-long loan in the Premier League.

This would allow the player to maintain his match fitness and play at the highest level, while also not being seen to ‘jump ship’ by forcing a permanent move away. A loan should also suit Shakhtar as they would obviously not have to pay the wages of a player who’s refusing to return to the club, but they would still hold the players permanent registration.

It seems like a win-win solution and Arsenal or Tottenham would get their hands on an excellent player if they could agree a loan deal. However, it looks like they will face stiff competition as the Mail claim that both AC Milan and Roma are also keen on taking Costa on a short-term deal.

READ MORE –> Arsenal transfer news | Spurs transfer news

Costa has been with Shakhtar for four-and-a-half years since joining from Gremio in January 2010 and has been a key member of the side that’s won five consecutive Ukrainian Premier League titles and two domestic trebles.