Former Chelsea Star Edges Closer to Joining Top European Outfit
- Diego Costa edges closer to joining Benfica in the summer
- The 32-year-old has been clubless since he left Atletico Madrid about three months ago
- Sources however claim the former Premier League winner has agreed to join the Portuguese club for £5m
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Former Chelsea striker Diego Costa is reportedly on the verge of joining Benfica on a two-year deal worth £5 million.
The 32-year-old forward has been clubless since he parted ways with Atletico Madrid on mutual consent last December.
He has since then been weighing his options as regards the suitable club he will join whether on a short-term or on a permanent basis.
Sources claim the two-time Premier League winner reached out to some clubs in Brazil but later decided to remain in Europe for some time.
Source: Getty Images
Daily Mail quoting Mundo Deportivo claims the attacker rejected a deal from French League outfit Marseille who attempted to have him on their books.
This will now give him the chance to return to Portugal where he once played for Braga before heading for his first stint at Atletico Madrid in 2007.
Reports reveal Benfica offered him £2.6m a season to play for them, and Costa has agreed to the move in principle and will join them in June, however, if a better offer comes, he might consider.
His agent Jorge Mendes has a strong working relationship with the Portuguese side, and the money being offered is impressive for a player that fell out of favour at the Wanda Metropolitano last year.
Benfica would certainly be improved by Costa's arrival, given they are currently third in the Primeira Liga and 13 points off the pace of Sporting Lisbon.
In other news, Briefly.co.za reported that Bafana Bafana took part in a 2022 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier match last evening and drew one all against Ghana.
It could have been far worse, if not for Percy Tau. Despite some poor defence from Ghana, South Africa failed to capitalise on an early goal. Bafana Bafana fans were furious with Thapelo Morena for missing a vital goal opportunity in the first 5 minutes.
Thapelo Morena then missed another golden opportunity to put some points on the board at the half-hour mark.
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Source: Briefly News
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.
Mxolisi Mngadi (Editor) Mxolisi Mngadi is an entertainment reporter. He graduated in 2002 from Damelin with a Diploma in Journalism, majoring in African and International Studies, Journalism and Electronic Media. He then started his journalism career at the Daily Sun newspaper, went on to The Citizen, and worked as a senior reporter at News24. He has been a writer for more than 15 years.
