Arsenal are reportedly prepared to trigger Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa’s £32 million release clause, according to reports in Daily Star.
The Brazilian has been a revelation this season by notching up 19 goals in 17 appearances and has established himself as one of the most feared strikers in European football.
The report states that Arsenal are ready to pull out all the stops to land hotshot Diego Costa, and the 25 year old has a £32 million buyout clause placed in his contract won’t prevent Arsene Wenger from making an offer for the soon-to-be Spainish striker.
Wenger has a crisis up front after stand in striker Nicklas Bendtner sprained an ankle scoring in Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Cardiff. He will be out for at least six weeks and first choice Olivier Giroud is also missing due to an ankle injury.
Some reports earlier this month stated that the Gunners have sent scouts to watch the in form La Liga forward and Arsenal have already made contact with the player’s representatives about a potential switch to Emirates Stadium next month. Costa recently signed a new contract in August which will keep him at the Spanish club until 2018 with a £32 million buyout clause inserted.
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Diego Costa is an excellent striker who is capable of playing through the middle, but the forward prefers to work out on the left wing and run in at the defenders. He has the pace, strength and the aerial ability to dominate opponents.
His talents would make him the ideal attacking addition for the Gunners, who are relying heavily on Nicklas Bendtner as a back up to Giroud. The return of Lukas Podolski has added another candidate to play up front but Wenger prefers to play the German, along with Theo Walcott, on the wing.
The Gunners have employed the 4-2-3-1 formation to good effect so far in the campaign and it’s a good thing that Costa has experience functioning as part of a similar setup. His signature would require triggering the hefty release clause, something which no longer looks impossible at the Emirates following the summer acquisition of Mesut Ozil.
He would be unavailable to feature for the Gunners in European competition but even then one could argue that the positives outweigh the negatives. His arrival would give Arsenal another world class talent and reliable presence in front of goal.
Is Costa the striker we need to end our trophy drought? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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