Report: Inter may have launched efforts to get Douglas Costa

In the land of speculation and grand rumor, this one is another strong one.

I never knew the rumor mill regarding transfers could be this rampant, but one that struck my eye was from Sport Mediaset in Italy which has linked Inter Milan with Bayern Munich striker Douglas Costa.

The Brazilian left winger remains under contract with the German giants through the 2019-2020 season, but Bayern has put a €50 million price tag on him. Football-italia.com suggests Juventus won’t pay the asking price, instead offering €40 million but Bayern Munich isn’t biting on that.

Costa appeared in 23 games for Bayern, netting four goals and three assists. He added another two goals and three assists in Champions League play.

A little skill set from Costa

Now, here is the strange part of all of this.

While Inter may see Costa as a, “ideal” replacement for Ivan Perisic — provided Jose Mourinho gets his way and Inter caves on their asking price — the reports suggest the Nerazzurri are willing to offer Costa €8 million per year compared to the €6.5 million Juventus is offering and Bayern is currently paying.

The priority for Inter must be the €30 million needed to meet the zero-break-even deficit agreed upon to avoid further FFP sanctions. Eyeing a €50 million transfer fee for Costa seems a bit off the reservation.

Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Would he be a great addition to the front line, well … of course, especially if you consider the strong possibility that Perisic is heading to England. But, with no European football next year, the only motivation for Costa to come to the San Siro is money. While Inter may have the money soon, they really don’t have it now and if time is of the essence, the Nerazzurri could not possibly be in this game.

So, yes Costa would look great in blue and black, the fact of the matter is until Inter can get out from under the FFP issue, making that big splash is likely going to have to wait.

Now, I would be remiss if I didn’t consider the possibility that it might actually happen. In order for that, Inter would have to get the roughly €56.8 million (£50 million) from Manchester United for Perisic (the Reds offered £26 million). That would take care of the FFP issue and leave €26 million left.

Consider Éver Banega may still leave for Sevilla — who is looking to pay €9 million for the midfielder which could put Inter closer to the €50 million asking price for Costa.

A lot of things would have to fall into place for that to happen.