Not Joao Felix – Man Utd are now ready to pay over £73m 23-year-old Portuguese star, Club working on deal

Manchester United are working on a deal to sign Diogo Costa from FC Porto and are ready to pay in excess of £72m to land the goalkeeper, according to AS via the Sun.

Costa is attracting interest from several European clubs following his inspired performances for the Portuguese giants this season.

The 23-year-old has kept nine clean sheets in 19 appearances across all competitions for Porto this campaign, helping him forge a reputation as one of the best young goalkeepers in Europe.

His performances have caught the eye of Manchester United with the report claiming that Costa is seen as perfect replacement for David de Gea as Erik ten Hag looks to strengthen his team.

However, United are said to be keen on tying De Gea down to a new deal on a reduced wage, rather than offload him completely, so Costa would be brought in as stiff competition for their current No.1.

AS, via the Sun, claims that Man Utd are already working on a potential deal that could cost in excess of £72m – the fee Chelsea paid for Kepa Arrizabalaga – meaning they may break the transfer record for a goalkeeper in order to land Costa.

Huge potential

Costa is only valued at £30m [€35m] by Transfermarkt, so Manchester United would be paying a huge fee to sign the Portuguese international, suggesting they must have faith he can develop into one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

He made his debut for Portugal in 2021 and featured at the 2022 FIFA World Cup where he played every minute of the campaign as they were knocked out of the tournament after losing in the quarter-finals to Morocco.

Costa may not be a world class goalkeeper yet but he has the talent to become of the best shot-stoppers around, and could prove to be the ideal long-term replacement for De Gea.

Last season, De Gea was heavily criticised for churning out inconsistent performances for Man United as they failed to make the top four.

Since the appointment of Erik ten Hag, several goalkeepers have been linked with a move to the club as the Dutch boss looks to remold his team to his playing style, and it seems Costa could be the latest addition if United can broker a deal with Porto.