Barcelona have been left short-staffed in the goalkeeping department following the season-ending injury to captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Inaki Pena is all set to step in for the injured German international, but the Blaugrana are also working to bring in an emergency replacement to ensure some depth in the position.
Names of veterans like Wojciech Szczesny and Keylor Navas, who are free agents currently, are being considered, with the plan being to bring them in on a short-term basis.
Diogo Costa the long-term target
At the same time, though, considering that Ter Stegen will be turning 33 years old next year and has suffered a serious injury, Barcelona are starting to think about a top-quality long-term replacement for the German.
And, Mundo Deportivo reports that FC Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa is a player who is very well-liked by Barcelona as the possible heir to their current No. 1.
Costa, 25, had been offered to Barça back in January 2022 for a fee of just €15 million by superagent Jorge Mendes but the deal was not finalised.
But, current sporting director Deco and the rest of the sporting management team have been closely following the Portuguese international for a while now and rate him very highly.
Someone with great reflexes, strong in the air, and reliable between the sticks, Costa is seen as a goalkeeper capable of playing for Champions League-winning teams at Barcelona and as such, he is a popular choice at the club to replace Ter Stegen in the long run.
However, a move for Costa, whose market value stands at €45 million, will only be considered in the summer of next year at the latest, considering the club’s financial situation as well as the fact that he has a contract at Porto until 2027.
