Chelsea and Xabi Alonso are eyeing a move for Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa, who has long been a transfer target for Manchester United.
Xabi Alonso eyes Chelsea reinforcements (Image: Getty Images)
Chelsea are monitoring Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa as they consider a move for the £51m shot-stopper.
Xabi Alonso has just arrived at Stamford Bridge and will need to strengthen a team that finished 10th last season. He has a number of areas he would like to improve on and Costa has been named as a target.
Portugal’s No. 1 player will be playing in the World Cup, but his price could rise even further if he proves to be talented. Porto value Costa at around €60m (approximately £51m) and will review that figure if he performs well in this summer’s competitions, reports the Record.
Porto may have just won the Portuguese title, but over the years they have let go of their best players to get what they deserve. Costa is an academy graduate and will be a huge benefit to Chelsea’s balance sheet if they are prepared to back their latest manager.
Robert Sanchez was the Blues’ number one last season, but he has long been criticized, especially if Chelsea have ambitions of competing in the Premier League. They relied on Filip Jorgensen in the second half of the season, but he too made mistakes, making the Blues even more in need of an elite No.1.
Costa, who also captains Porto, is considered one of Europe’s most highly-rated goalkeepers this year. Last season he kept 26 clean sheets in 53 games and conceded just 13 goals in 31 league games.
Manchester United were the first Premier League club to seriously consider signing Costa. They opted to bring in Andre Onana to replace David de Gea, but it soon became clear that the Cameroonian was not up to standard and a replacement was needed.
Costa remained very much on the market as the Red Devils did not invest heavily in other goalkeepers and instead signed Senne Ramens.
Manchester United have been linked with Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa for years (Image: Diogo Cardoso/Getty Images)
PSG is likely to be Chelsea’s main rival. Last summer, he signed Lucas Chevalier from Lille, but he was a disappointment and was replaced by Matvei Safonov at the beginning of the year. Although the Russian has maintained his status, reports suggest he is not necessarily considered a long-term No. 1. Les Parisiens and others claim that the European champions could target Costa as their new starting pitcher.
Chelsea’s decision to sign Kepa Arrizabalaga remains the highest ever paid for a goalkeeper. Back in 2018, they spent £71.6m to sign the Spaniard from Athletic Bilbao.
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