Douglas Costa

[Term-X 7,891]

Man Utd face competition from Chelsea for Douglas Costa

20.07.09 | tribalfootball.com Manchester United face competition from Chelsea for Gremio starlet Douglas Costa.

United are willing to pay an initial fee of £8m for the 18-year-old including various add-ons depending on his success at Old Trafford, but the deal looked to have faltered when Gremio opened talks by demanding £21m.

The Premier League champions have made it clear they consider that to be exorbitant but, after several weeks of negotiations, Gremio have now relaxed their stance and the two clubs are attempting to reach a compromise for the latest player to be tagged in Brazil as "the new Ronaldinho", says the Guardian.

An already complex series of negotiations has been further complicated by Chelsea's interest while Real Madrid have also been asked to be kept informed and Villarreal have submitted a bid of £6m plus add-ons. Manchester City had also shown tentative interest but have not followed that up with anything more substantial.

Edited July 20, 2009 by Terminator X

[BlueLion. 21,491]

£21 million for a player I'd never heard of until United made a bid for him? They can jog on.

[Term-X 7,891]

it's only 21 million because these brazilian clubs know he will be worth 80 million in the future.

they lose all the great talents football has to offer for penny's, so now they are putting up the prices.

[TrueChelseaBlue 105]

Nobodys worth 80mill in my opinion.

[Term-X 7,891]

so many legendary Brazilians have been bought from this league for next to nothing, so the transfer fee should not put us off only an ignorant fan would look at the transfer fee and dismiss it.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

So you're calling me "ignorant" because I'm challenging speculation we're about to sign a player that most people on here will only pretend to have heard of?

[Badboy 1,526]

So you're calling me "ignorant" because I'm challenging speculation we're about to sign a player that most people on here will only pretend to have heard of?

Bluelion thats what we were thinking when pato was up for grabs. My opinion is if the scouts think he is good enough to become world class one day lets sign him. 21 million is a lot of money though

and it is a gamble lets see.

[Badboy 1,526]

[We Hate Scouse 10,260]

There's no guarantee at all that he will be good though. I absolutely understand what Bluelion is getting at, it's too much for a player unproven in the big time. No one had ever heard of him a couple of weeks ago now were going to spend a vast amount of money on him. Bad move!

[EskWeston 696]

Is our interest real? Who knows, but it would be good to pick up one of these talented Brazilian youngsters before they come to Europe. £21m is a lot of money, but the people who are watching him will know if this is value for money or not. Like badboy said had we paid that for Pato it would be looking like a good investment now!

[Badboy 1,526]

Is our interest real? Who knows, but it would be good to pick up one of these talented Brazilian youngsters before they come to Europe. £21m is a lot of money, but the people who are watching him will know if this is value for money or not. Like badboy said had we paid that for Pato it would be looking like a good investment now!

Exacly thats what the scouts get payed for. Looking at the videos i have seen he is similar to kakuta.

Edited July 20, 2009 by Badboy

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Bluelion thats what we were thinking when pato was up for grabs. My opinion is if the scouts think he is good enough to become world class one day lets sign him. 21 million is a lot of money though

and it is a gamble lets see.

I agree with you. But all of a sudden he is sought after by United and everyone is immediately so knowledgeable about the player. Quite a coincidence.

[ChelseaUSA 0]

ive seen him play once on tv, hes pretty damn good for his age, could be a good investment but 21mil might be a little high. i think he'll turn out to be good but the premier league is a different beast compared to the brazilian league

[the wes 7,212]

Sky Sports Scout is our exciting feature where we scour the globe looking out for the best

talent and bring you a report on what we find.

Our Scout will report back and you can comment on what you think of our appraisal.

Also, in association with Football Manager, we give all readers the chance to win a copy of the latest game by nominating a player.

You can only nominate a player by emailing here, including the word 'Scout' in your subject line.

Should your player get reviewed by our scout, and you were first to send in his name, then you will win a copy of Football Manager Live! - which includes a pre-paid four-month subscription.

Latest under our scout's gaze is Gremio forward Douglas Costa - recommended by Sky Sports reader Andrew McDonnell.

The scout reports...

One of the most requested players in scout history, Douglas Costa is the latest Brazilian to be heralded as a future world superstar.

As ever, the expectation levels on any talented young South American are big and Douglas is a very talented young player.

Labelled as the new Ronaldinho because he has come through the ranks at Gremio, as did the Milan star, and also plays in a similar position off the strikers.

Douglas began his education with Novo Hamburgo but at the age of 11, Gremio spotted his potential and integrated him into their youth setup.

He loves to play just behind the forward-line and loves to beat people with his exceptional skill and close control, although his passing is also very good.

He does have an eye for goal, but his shooting can be wayward at times, and claims of him being a free-kick specialist are yet to come to fruition on the pitch.

He was handed his first-team debut in late 2008 and he scored against Botafogo - but the hype surrounding him was already in place after he was handed a five-year deal with a buy-out of nearly £20million, months before his maiden appearance.

Real Madrid, Villarreal and Manchester United have shown a keen interest, with the latter trying to set-up a trial ahead of a possible move in June 2009 - but this was rejected by Gremio.

The scout says...

There is no doubt his boy is a huge talent and he could indeed by the 'new' Ronaldinho, but at this point nobody can be sure.

It is a little shock that he is being lined up for a big money move to Europe when he cannot command a regular starting spot with Gremio, but there is no doubt has all the natural ability anyone could ever want in a young forward.

The Scout rating...

Shooting: 7 out of 10

Passing: 8 out of 10

Tackling: 5 out of 10

Heading: 6 out of 10

Pace: 8 out of 10

Vision: 8 out of 10

Current ability: 6 out of 10

Potential ability: 10 out of 10

OVERALL SCOUT RATING: 58/80

Current value: £12million

Potential value: £60million

[Term-X 7,891]

Exacly thats what the scouts get payed for. Looking at the videos i have seen he is similar to kakuta.

exactly.

...

and potential value 60m lmao, why pay 40m for pato when we can buy our own for half that.

Edited July 21, 2009 by Terminator X

[ZanSnake 1,211]

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is ready to call off the propsosed £7m deal for Gremio midfielder Douglas Costa because of concerns about the 18-year-old's private life.

Full story: News of the World

Still in for a chance