He elaborated on the “options remaining” on the paper’s website, mentioning moves to Qatar, Russia, or Turkey. If one of these choices doesn’t “materialize” before the other windows close, however, an agreement between the winger and the Whites should be struck to make him a free agent a year before his contract expires.
Having previously spent a season on loan, Costa was a £15 million signing from Wolves in 2020 [Leeds Live] while Victor Orta and Marcelo Bielsa were still in charge of the team. However, Costa has spent the last two seasons at Valencia and Al-Ittihad, respectively.
Smyth claims that Daniel Farke “appreciated Costa’s honesty” in declaring early this summer that he saw no future outside of Leeds United, as opposed to other players who held off until later in the transfer market.
Necessary
Costa hasn’t been a going concern at Elland Road for a while, and now that he only has a year remaining on his deal, it appears that, if no club signs him up in the coming weeks, a compromise over the cost of it might be found between the two parties.
Since he spent last season there before the significant inflow this summer, Saudi Arabia’s interest in him makes sense, but if he is scheduled to play just hours before the deadline, it might mean that route is no longer open.
With the departure of last season’s signings, many of whom received scant compensation, Victor Orta’s transfer record has taken a huge hit. The possibility that Costa will be paid off after two years away from the team further compounds that.
The £15 million investment may be understandable after his involvement and production nearly halved the following year before spending nearly the entirety of his Whites career elsewhere, but it is another decision that didn’t pay off after he made a total of 46 appearances during the previous promotion season on loan.
Despite Luis Sinisterra leaving on deadline day for Bournemouth, Farke is still well-stocked in wide areas, thus it is unlikely that Costa will be deployed at Elland Road and it seems as though his time at the club is about to end in one way or another.
