"New Ronaldino" Douglas Costa to join Man Utd?
Manchester United are understood to be in talks with Brazilian club Grêmio concerning the transfer of Douglas Costa, their much sought after teenage midfield player, as Sir Alex Ferguson looks to replace Real Madrid-bound Cristiano Ronaldo.
Costa, who is commonly known simply as Douglas, is a left-footed attacking midfield player and free-kick specialist. In Brazil he is being hailed as "the new Ronaldinho" after earning rave reviews in his first full season with the Grêmio senior squad.
United have been monitoring his progress for about two years; but following outstanding performances in the junior Copa Santiago tournament in January 2008, several other leading European clubs, including Liverpool, Inter Milan and Real Madrid began to show an interest.
Grêmio responded by giving him a contract until February 2013, with a release clause estimated to be worth £13.5 million. However, Ferguson remains confident of signing the player this summer and adding him to the growing roster of Brazilian stars at Old Trafford.
Douglas’s agent Cesar Bottega, however, was more circumspect yesterday when speaking about the negotiations: "There have been some informal conversations [but] I don’t believe they can reach those values. Right now, an offer might come in at a maximum of £6.7million. But this would not be enough for [Grêmio] president Duda Kroeff. At the end of the Brasileirão [Brazil’s equivalent of the Premier League which ends in December], Douglas will be worth at least twice what he’s worth now.”
Ferguson is also hoping to complete the transfer of Antonio Valencia, the Wigan Athletic and Ecuador winger, before United head off to Asia for a series of pre-season friendlies in the middle of July.