Friday, 31st August, 2012
Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas is an admirer of Shakhtar Donetsk attacking midfielder Douglas Costa, according to the player’s agent.
Costa has been linked with the Donbass Arena exit door, with two Serie A sides in Napoli and Roma having held discussions over snapping up the 21-year-old, while another English club, Fulham, have been thrown into the mix too.
But the clock is ticking down on the summer transfer window and it is far from clear whether any concrete bids will arrive for the Brazilian before the deadline passes.
Nevertheless, Costa’s agent Cesar Bottega has used the opportunity of the transfer scramble to place his client’s name in the headlines.
"Villas-Boas appreciates the qualities of Douglas Costa, despite us not receiving any official offer", Bottega told Calcio Mercato.
"We have spoken several times to Napoli and we were close to Roma, who made an offer, but the deal fell through", he added.
And on Fulham, Bottega stressed concerns over whether the Cottagers could afford his client, commenting that "the club has to have great economic strength, since we know the player is priced at about €18M."
Costa landed at Shakhtar Donetsk in 2010 and had attracted much interest from a number of clubs, most notably Manchester United, before joining the Ukrainian giants.
He has impressed with Mircea Lucescu’s men and will again have the chance to shine in the Champions League this season, if there is no late move away from the Ukraine.
Shakhtar Donetsk have been placed in Group E, alongside Chelsea, Juventus and FC Nordsjaelland.
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