According to rumors, Manchester United dispatched scouts to observe Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa play in his team's 1-0 victory over Boavista on Sunday.
The 23-year-old stopper of shots was a constant for Portugal at the World Cup and has cemented his position as his nation's starting goalkeeper.
At Porto, where he has played 60 times over the last two seasons, he is also the top choice.
Costa, who is valued at €45 million on Transfermarkt, has been linked to a move to United for a number of months; the Daily Mirror reported in October that the team was keeping an eye on the young goalkeeper.
According to The Athletic, United are interested in signing the goalie because of his age, reputation as a potential top shot-stopper for the ensuing ten years, and strong ball-playing skills.
Since the 2012–13 season, David de Gea, who joined United from Atletico Madrid in 2011, has been the team's starting goalkeeper. But given that his contract is set to expire this summer and that no agreement has yet been reached, his 12-year affiliation may still come to an end this season.
Given the uncertainty surrounding Dean Henderson's future, United is reportedly searching the market for goalkeeping options regardless of De Gea's situation. Costa has once again caught their attention.
Scouts from Manchester United were reportedly present at the Estadio do Dragao stadium when Porto overcame Boavista 1-0, according to Portuguese publication O Jogo (via Manchester Evening News).
With four games remaining, Sergio Conceicao's team continued to put pressure on league-leading Benfica, who are four points ahead of them. But for Porto, it was anything but a simple afternoon. Mehdi Taremi, an international for Iran, converted a penalty after 59 minutes to give them the lead.
Centre-back Seven minutes later, Ivan Marcano was shown a straight red card. Costa also made a spectacular diving save late in the game to stop substitute Robert Bozenik.
Thus, the 23-year-old preserved two points for his team. The performance will undoubtedly have impressed onlookers for United as they prepare to make a goalkeeper acquisition this summer.
Costa has drawn attention before; in fact, against Bayer Leverkusen in October, the Portugal international made history by being the first goalie to both assist and save a penalty in the same game.
Luis Saha suggests Brighton Albion star to replace David De Gea
In light of the uncertainties surrounding David De Gea's future at Manchester United, Robert Sánchez may be a goalkeeper capable of adjusting to Erik ten Hag's playing style.
Former United striker Louis Saha holds this opinion. One of the veterans of the current team, De Gea has been at Old Trafford since the summer of 2011.
De Gea has now made 538 appearances for United and has taken home awards like the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, and Europa League throughout that period. The 32-year-old's future at the club, though, is in doubt.
The 12-year Manchester resident from Spain's contract expires this summer. To give him an extension and extend his stay at the Old Trafford club, United is seeking to reduce his pay.
Ten Hag, in the opinion of former United striker Saha, requires a keeper who can play out from the back. He thinks Brighton goalkeeper Sánchez, a De Gea international teammate, has impressed and has the potential to perform to the manager of United's expectations.
Saha believes that Sanchez, out of all the available choices, fits the description in terms of being good with his feet, even though he is unclear if Sanchez would want to transfer to Old Trafford to be a number two keeper.
According to SussexLive, Saha said: "It’s a tough one. What I’ve seen of Manchester United’s progression this year and what their style of play has shown me is that the goalkeeper playing out from the back is very important to Erik ten Hag.
"Erik will want a goalkeeper that’s a very good goalkeeper firstly, but he’d want them to be equally as good with their feet too. I’ve always been very impressed with Robert Sánchez from Brighton.
"I don’t know if he’d be happy about being a number two at Manchester United, but he’s a player that could adapt to Erik ten Hag’s style. There’s a lot of great goalkeepers out there and many of the best are very good with the ball at their feet.”
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