have ramped up their search for David De Gea’s successor after watching Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa in action.
Erik ten Hag has stuck with De Gea since his appointment at Old Trafford but the Spaniard is not a suitable fit for how the Dutchman wants to play.
De Gea, though a fine shotstopper, is uncomfortable with the ball at his feet and he’s been criticised by successive United managers for his tendency to stay on his line.
United started the season with back-to-back defeats, with De Gea guilty of making one costly error and he was clearly uncomfortable with starting attacks from the back.
Ten Hag has reduced the need to play out from the back, which has helped United to four consecutive wins in the league.
But the Dutchman wants his team to evolve and he feels the signings of Ederson and Alisson Becker were transformative for rivals Manchester City and Liverpool.
Costa, a Portugal international, has seven caps for his country and is a regular for Porto.
The 23-year-old is adept with the ball at his feet and United feel the Portuguese market is one they can profit from, having signed Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot from there in recent times.
United watched Costa as Porto battered Braga on Friday evening during a 4-1 win, with the Red Devils sending a scout to the game.
De Gea has less than a year left on his deal, though United have the option of extending that by a further 12 months.
Costa would cost around £30m and De Gea is United’s second highest paid player on around £375,000-a-week, which equates to around £16m-a-year.
, .
, and .
