Chelsea overtake Man Utd, Man City in race for £65m star as contact is made

Manchester United and Manchester City could miss out on the signing of Portugal star Diogo Costa as Chelsea have made the first approach for him, according to reports.

Costa has achieved a lot for a 24-year-old goalkeeper. He has kept 64 clean sheets in 154 appearances for Porto, helping the club win two league titles, four Portuguese Cups and one Portuguese League Cup. Costa’s great performances have also seen him win the Primeira Liga’s Goalkeeper of the Season Award twice.

The shot-stopper is Portugal’s established No 1, having won 20 caps to date and made Roberto Martinez’s provisional squad for this summer’s European Championship.

As Costa is one of the best young keepers in the world, Porto will struggle to keep hold of him in the next few transfer windows.

Costa could leave as early as this summer, too. Man Utd are long-term admirers of the Switzerland-born star and sent scouts to watch him in action again earlier this month.

Man Utd chiefs are considering a move for Costa in order to replace Andre Onana, who only moved to Old Trafford last summer.

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But the Red Devils are far from the only club interested in Costa. According to reports emerging from Spain, Chelsea and Man City have joined Man Utd in chasing Costa.

City boss Pep Guardiola has earmarked him as a potential replacement for Ederson, who is considering a shock summer transfer to the Saudi Pro League.

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But it is Chelsea who have put themselves in pole position for this statement deal. Todd Boehly’s side have made the first move by approaching Costa about a possible switch to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea want to know whether the 6ft 1in keeper would be open to joining them and how much he might demand in wages.

Chelsea are currently waiting on Costa’s response. They will be confident about him giving his approval though as he is known to be keen on trying himself out in the Premier League.

Porto know that Costa is destined for bigger and better things and have provisionally set his price tag at £65million. Although, the Porto academy graduate may end up moving for more than that sum if Chelsea, Man Utd and City all bid for him.

Costa moving to Chelsea would impact current keepers Robert Sanchez and Djordje Petrovic. Sanchez joined the Blues from Brighton in August 2023 but has been out of action since December due to injury and illness, which has allowed Petrovic to impress.

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