The Liverpool Echo earlier reported ‘definite’ Liverpool interest in Bayern Munich winger Douglas Costa. This is not surprising as Liverpool look at potential alternatives to AS Roma forward Mohamed Salah. Although it is clear that Salah is attracted by the prospect of playing for Liverpool, agreeing a fee with Roma is proving a challenging task with the Italian club insisting on a fee upward of £35m. Liverpool will not be held to ransom or pay over the odds for a player, and therefore have widened the search for a new winger. The club has today been linked with both Douglas Costa and Sporting Lisbon forward Gelson Martins. I believe both players are aligned with Jurgen Klopp’s football ideology and would be excellent additions, however my preference would be Douglas Costa.

Douglas Costa is an exciting, dynamic and intelligent footballer who is known for his dribbling, pace and crossing skills. He has a very direct style yet is flamboyant and thrilling. He excites fans with trickery and while this can sometimes be over the top, he delivers when it counts. He has shown this in the UEFA Champion League across the previous three seasons. His pace is frightening. After studying his game for many years, I labelled him the best winger in modern football during his time under Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich. He is a constant threat out wide, defending sides usually double up tactically to defend against him. He is adaptable and could play in a number of positions across the Liverpool front line.

Costa is free to leave FC Bayern Munich this summer, after Carlo Ancelotti plans to shake up his squad this summer. Costa has had an unusually inconsistent season, scoring only 7 goals in 34 appearances in all competitions. A host of European sides have been linked with him, including both Barcelona and Liverpool. It is likely that Bayern Munich would accept a bid of around £30m for the player, meaning he would be a cheaper alternative to the other reported targets. For that money in today’s market, I would love to see the club sign Douglas Costa. I would call it a bargain, as I believe he has the potential to be a star performer in the Premier League.

Ben Wade

@brwade123

@anythingliverpool