Manchester United finalising offer to sign 23-year-old star with €75 million release clause: Reports

Manchester United are close to finalizing the deal to sign FC Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa, according to Portuguese outlet Correio da Manha (via Sport Witness). The Red Devils are in the market for a new shot-stopper and see Costa as their primary target. According to the aforementioned source, the Portugal goalkeeper has a release clause of €75 million.

FC Porto have stayed true to their demands and want no less than their priced asset's release clause. The steep price, however, does not bother Manchester United, who are more than happy to meet the asking price for Diogo Costa.

According to Correio da Manha, FC Porto are in urgent need of some cash before June 30 and are therefore open to selling Costa to the Red Devils. The Portugal giants will get a huge amount of money, as the goalkeeper is one of their most expensive assets in their squad.

According to the publication, Diogo Costa has attracted interest from Manchester United for quite some time now. The Portugal international was scouted by United on a number of occasions last season, and they have decided to make him their number one for the 2023–24 season.

The deal to bring Costa to Old Trafford will be handled by super-agent Jorge Mendes. He was recently handling Marco Asensio and Manuel Ugarte's transfers to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and will now shift his attention to Costa's move.

Diogo Costa was one of Porto's most consistent performers in the recently concluded 2023–24 season. The 23-year-old shot-stopper played 33 out of 34 games in the league for the Dragons as they finished second, two points behind winners Benfica. Costa conceded just 22 goals and kept 16 clean sheets along the way.

Costa made a total of 63 saves during the 2022–23 Primeira Liga campaign, which comes to 1.9 saves per game. He is one of the modern-day goalkeepers, capable of playing out from the back. Costa had a 92% accuracy rate on passes within his own half and an overall pass accuracy rate of 77%.

Diogo Costa is also a capable shot-stopper when it comes to saving penalties. He did not save any of the four spot-kicks he faced in the league but did save three penalties in the UEFA Champions League last season.

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Why are Manchester United in the market for a new goalkeeper?

Manchester City v Manchester United: Emirates FA Cup Final

The goalkeeping position was one of Manchester United's weak links during the 2022–23 season. United's current number one, David de Gea, had an error-prone campaign, which was highlighted on the big stage.

De Gea had a poor outing against Sevilla in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Europa League, as United exited the tournament at that stage. He also had an underwhelming display against Manchester City in the FA Cup Final, which Erik ten Hag's side also lost.

According to the aforementioned source, Ten Hag wasn't happy with de Gea's performances last season and is therefore chasing Diogo Costa. The transfer has been approved by Manchester United's hierarchy and has the support of fellow Portugal players in the squad, Diogo Dalot and Bruno Ferandes.