Liverpool have reportedly made an offer for Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa, who is also on Arsenal's wanted list.
According to Spanish news program Punto Pelota, the Reds have submitted an offer for the 24 year old Brazil international, and and are waiting for permission from the La Liga club to make an official approach.
Costa - recently linked with a €25m move to Arsenal - is in the final year of his contract with Madrid, which means he could potentially leave for free next summer.
This should give interested clubs a strong bargaining position, and render his €25m (£22m) buy-out clause practically meaningless.
When asked in May about his plans for the future, Costa told reporters:
"I am working so that I grow and improve every day. There are great players here and I want to fight to be in the first XI. I hope to keep growing here at Atleti."
Costa's team-mate, Koke, wants the Brazilian to stay with the club, and in February, he enthused:
"He [Costa] is a great footballer, he has a lot of character and he has his own way of playing when he is on the pitch. He does his job and people focus on other aspects of his game too much.”
By 'other aspects of his game', Koke clearly refers to Costa's reputation for being one of football's biggest 'wide-up merchants', which has earned him the nickname 'Dr Jekyll and Mr. Costa' in the Spanish media.
Case in point: After gifting Costa a goal in February, Real Betis centre-back Betis Antonio Amaya reacted with anger over the Brazilian's very deliberate gloating. After the game, he raged:
"He [Costa] was shouting and thanking me for the gift. If my team-mates had not held me back, I would have killed him. That shows what kind of person he is: he has no heart and no shame"
Costa's overly physical approach regularly unsettles defenders, and in December, clearly miffed by Costa's rough tactics, TV cameras caught Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos spitting at the striker in retaliation:
Lovely!
Costa's stats from last season are creditable:
* 20 goals/8 assists in 44 apps (36 starts)
* Top scorer in the Spanish cup (beating Ronaldo)
* Goal/assist every 1.5 games.
4 different loan spells in 5 years suggests that Atletic don't rate Costa that highly, but at 24, he's the right age for LFC, and at 6'2, he'd add some real physical presence to LFC's forward line.
A good move for LFC...or potentially Suarez mk II (in terms of causing trouble) ?
Jaimie Kanwar
NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)
According to Spanish news program Punto Pelota, the Reds have submitted an offer for the 24 year old Brazil international, and and are waiting for permission from the La Liga club to make an official approach.
Costa - recently linked with a €25m move to Arsenal - is in the final year of his contract with Madrid, which means he could potentially leave for free next summer.
This should give interested clubs a strong bargaining position, and render his €25m (£22m) buy-out clause practically meaningless.
When asked in May about his plans for the future, Costa told reporters:
"I am working so that I grow and improve every day. There are great players here and I want to fight to be in the first XI. I hope to keep growing here at Atleti."
Costa's team-mate, Koke, wants the Brazilian to stay with the club, and in February, he enthused:
"He [Costa] is a great footballer, he has a lot of character and he has his own way of playing when he is on the pitch. He does his job and people focus on other aspects of his game too much.”
By 'other aspects of his game', Koke clearly refers to Costa's reputation for being one of football's biggest 'wide-up merchants', which has earned him the nickname 'Dr Jekyll and Mr. Costa' in the Spanish media.
Case in point: After gifting Costa a goal in February, Real Betis centre-back Betis Antonio Amaya reacted with anger over the Brazilian's very deliberate gloating. After the game, he raged:
"He [Costa] was shouting and thanking me for the gift. If my team-mates had not held me back, I would have killed him. That shows what kind of person he is: he has no heart and no shame"
Costa's overly physical approach regularly unsettles defenders, and in December, clearly miffed by Costa's rough tactics, TV cameras caught Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos spitting at the striker in retaliation:
Lovely!
Costa's stats from last season are creditable:
* 20 goals/8 assists in 44 apps (36 starts)
* Top scorer in the Spanish cup (beating Ronaldo)
* Goal/assist every 1.5 games.
4 different loan spells in 5 years suggests that Atletic don't rate Costa that highly, but at 24, he's the right age for LFC, and at 6'2, he'd add some real physical presence to LFC's forward line.
A good move for LFC...or potentially Suarez mk II (in terms of causing trouble) ?
Jaimie Kanwar
NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)
