After having failed to sign Colombian attacking midfielder Juan Quintero, the Daily Express is claiming that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was reluctant to meet Porto’s £32 million valuation of the World Cup star the Gunners will now pursue Shakhtar Donetsk’s Douglas Costa with an eye to a season long loan.
The Brazilian midfielder is unhappy about having to return to Donetsk due to the volatility currently going on in Eastern Ukraine between the army and pro-Russian separatists, and is willing to listen to any offers from prospective clubs.
Far from being a top goal scorer Costa has a huge amount of assists in helping Shakhtar land five successive Ukraine league titles and would prove to be a suitable stop gap after failing to sign the Colombian prodigy Quintero.
Arsenal fans thought a deal was close for the Porto player after he flew into London for a medical, but the news soon went cold following very complex third party ownership problems.