Man Utd tabled formal bid for Douglas Costa

Manchester United have reportedly accelerated their pursuit of a high-profile winger, placing a formal £27million bid for Juventus’ Douglas Costa.

Newly-appointed Juventus boss Andrea Pirlo has already put Douglas Costa, as well as several other, first-team stars up for sale.

Manchester United have now probed the ground by tabling a £27million bid for the Brazilian speed demon, according to Italian publication Corriere dello Sport.

Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho is a priority target for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but the 20-year-old’s price tag has so far been throwing a spanner in the works.

Dortmund are sticking to a £100million valuation of their prized asset, which has so far deterred United from making a concrete offer.

After failing to make a breakthrough in negotiations with the Bundesliga giants, the Red Devils have switched their attention towards Costa.

The 29-year-old is a much more easily attainable option this summer, with Juventus already reconciling with a markdown in price.

Indeed, perennial Serie A champions dished out £38million to take Costa away from Bayern Munich in 2018, but they are now ready to green-light his move to raise funds for their spending campaign.

The left-footed forward has struggled to establish himself as a regular starter in Turin, often finding himself behind Paulo Dybala, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Federico Bernardeschi in the pecking order.

With Costa’s current contract at the Allianz Stadium running out in 2022, Juventus will be looking to extract as much money as they can from cutting the ex-Shakhtar Donetsk star loose this summer.