'Man City believe cut-price Diogo Costa transfer on as Man United shut out of move'

19/04/2025 14:56

Man City believe they can succeed with a cut-price deal for Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa in the coming transfer window.

In a desperately poor season, the goalkeeping position has been an area of concern for Pep Guardiola’s side.

Ederson registered his fourth assist of the season in the 5-2 dismantling of Crystal Palace on Saturday (12 April).

However, whilst the Brazilian remains one of the best in the world with the ball at his feet, the 31-year-old is prone to an error in his shot-stopping, and has been limited to 22 Premier League appearances due to injury.

Ederson was heavily linked with a move to Saudi Arabia in January, and whilst a move did not materialise, there is expected to be significant interest from Saudi Pro League clubs once again in the summer window.

With that in mind, the Citizens have identified a potential successor for their Brazilian shot-stopper, reports The Mirror.

Man City looking to sign Diogo Costa as Man United priced out of deal

Costa has been on Man City’s radar for a while now, and the Portuguese goalkeeper has a £63million buy-out clause in his contract.

However, City believe they can negotiate a deal for Costa worth less than his buyout clause, with the Sky Blues believing an offer of £50million could be enough, with incoming director of football Hugo Viana enjoying a close relationship with the keeper’s agent Jorge Mendes.

Following another injury set-back to Ederson, the 25-year-old is seen as the perfect replacement to the Brazilian in Manchester.

Costa is exactly the kind of modern goalkeeper Pep Guardiola craves, with the goalkeeper’s passing range similar to Ederson’s.

The 25-year-old is also admired by Man United, but City’s rivals do not have the finances to trigger the buy-out clause, or challenge their crosstown rivals for the Porto man’s signature.

Andre Onana faces an uncertain future at United, and was dropped after a number of poor performances, but the Red Devils have limited finances this summer and may prioritise other positions first.

Man City act early to avoid repeat of last summer’s mistakes

Football Insider Verdict

Just a season ago, City were closing in on their fourth Premier League title in a row, having been crowned champions of Europe in the prior campaign.

However, as this season draws to a close, it is clear the club were resting on their laurels and the success blinded them to the issues that existed in the squad.

City have built their recruitment around future planning, making sure that current stars must continue to prove themselves with younger replacements brought in to challenge for their positions.

But in last summer’s window, only Ilkay Gundogan and Savinho joined, leaving Guardiola’s side much the same from the season before.

After a dismal start to the season, City recruited heavily in January and whilst Omar Marmoush has impressed since his switch from Eintracht Frankfurt, the Sky Blues have little to show for their heavy investment.

As such, it seems the Sky Blues will be active from the off in the coming window, keen to avoid the mistakes that now see them at risk of missing out on Champions League qualification.

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