Report: Manchester United is interested in signing Douglas Costa

With the much-anticipated arrival of Dejan Kulusevski, we know that there is bound to be somebody leaving Juventus to clear space on the roster at the right wing position. The two main candidates aren’t that hard to figure out: Federico Bernardeschi and Douglas Costa, both of which are players who have had eventful yet unspectacular 2019-20 campaigns.

We don’t know which one will leave.

But, at this point, we know there’s at least some kind of interest in both.

The latest development came Sunday when Sky Sport Italia’s Gianluca Di Marzio reported that Manchester United are considering a bid for Costa. What the price may be or if there’s anything else involved — you know the Italian press is itching to get another round of Paul Pogba-to-Juventus rumors really going again now that it’s transfer season — remains to be seen. But United, a rumored destination for Costa during heavy Swap Deal SZN rumors of a few months ago, look like serious in the fact that the speedy Brazilian is an option after the club missed out on signing Borussia Dortmund starlet Jadon Sancho earlier this month.

From Di Marzio’s report:

Juventus is working on building their team of the future. Winger Douglas Costa does not seem to be in the team’s plans, as the Brazilian is headed toward leaving the Turin club after appearing in 101 matches and scoring 10 goals during his three seasons in the bianconero shirt. His time with Juve was inconsistent, as he flashed his great talents but also struggled with injuries.

Manchester United is interested in acquiring Costa, and they are currently evaluating the class of ‘90 attacker.

There’s a catch, though: United, rightfully, are not fully convinced due to Costa’s recent injury history. More from Di Marzio’s report:

On one hand, the player’s characteristics are aligned with Solskjaer’s style of play, but his injuries are cause for concern. Considerations are being made before negotiations truly kick off.

Gee, I wonder why.

Costa is one of the ultimate enigmas of this current Juventus roster. His talent is obvious. He’s proven it, and he’s shown what he can do when he’s fully healthy. The problem is, obviously, is him staying healthy. And more and more the last two seasons, Costa’s inability to stay healthy has dominated the conversation around him rather than what he may or may not be doing on the field. (And then, of course, there’s the fact that him not being able to stay healthy has now truly impacted what he can do on the field and not get any kind of form.)

We saw it this past season. We saw it last season. It’s why, despite all of that talent and electric ability to potentially turn a game on its head when he’s on the field that he’s actually being thought of as a player who could very much be heading elsewhere this summer.

Douglas Costa is a really good player. But he’s also a player who can’t stay healthy. That’s obviously something that will determine just how serious Manchester United is when it comes to signing Costa in the next few weeks.