Arsenal and Tottenham set to fight for Douglas Costa transfer

Erik ten Hag tears into FIVE of his 'unprofessional' Man United players for their failure to learn a lesson, which led to Michael Olise's opener in their 4-0 demolition at Crystal Palace
Jamie Carragher tells 'absolutely awful' Antony to 'SHUT UP' as he fumes at Man United winger for whispering to his team-mates after the Red Devils' 4-0 Crystal Palace defeat
Ashley Young reveals why he was 'disappointed' with Jose Mourinho at Man United and admits that some players didn't 'give as much as they could'
A workaholic with a trick to stop injuries, inspired by Pep Guardiola... but colleagues used to call him 'slow'! What Liverpool's new boss Arne Slot is REALLY like: LEWIS STEELE reports from Rotterdam
Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham - who have scored a combined 107 goals this season - are 14/1 to each have 2+ shots on target in this week's Champions League action
Man United have made a decision on what to do with Mason Greenwood, claims the president of his loan club Getafe, as he reveals Barcelona have asked about outcast striker
Nottingham Forest LOSE appeal against four-point deduction for breaching Premier League spending rules... leaving them just three points above relegation zone
Jose Mourinho 'wants to manage Manchester United for a second time' and would 'walk' back to Old Trafford as Erik ten Hag's job future comes under increasing scrutiny
Erik ten Hag is losing his grip on the Man United job as this team disintegrates around him, writes MATT BARLOW after shambolic 4-0 defeat at Crystal Palace
Man United must sack Erik ten Hag and put 'best coach ever' Steve McClaren in caretaker charge, Paul Scholes and Michael Owen suggest, as they claim Dutchman has frozen his No 2 out
Jamie Carragher teases Gary Neville after Man United's defeat by Crystal Palace - as ex-Red Devils' defender's old comments comparing Erik ten Hag's midfield to Liverpool's re-surface... and have NOT aged well!
PLAYER RATINGS: Two Man United flops score just 3/10 after horror 4-0 defeat at Selhurst Park, while Michael Olise shines for Crystal Palace
Gabby Agbonlahor goads Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand over Man United's failures - as former centre back's past comments come back to haunt him
Erik ten Hag can't ignore his dossier of disasters after Man United's humiliation at Crystal Palace, where his team were run ragged, writes CHRIS WHEELER... Casemiro and Eriksen should be first out the door
Rio Ferdinand tells Sir Jim Ratcliffe five ways to improve Man United's awful injury record - with the current crisis denying them of 10 first-team players in their 4-0 defeat by Crystal Palace
'Ever suffered from menopause? I doubt it': Female darts star who FORFEITED because she refused to face a transgender player in women's tournament explains why it's unfair for her to play against biological men
Inside the Haaland-Keane feud that still lingers on, 20 years later: Man City star Erling's dad is 'really p***ed off' with United legend Roy's jibes at his son, reveals Ian Ladyman on It's All Kicking Off
Joey Barton launches blistering attack on Gary Neville, bizarrely calling him 'a little shop steward' and claiming he 'knows NOTHING' about football - months after grim threat to 'empty him'
Ashley Young reveals the TWO Man United stars that were spared Sir Alex Ferguson's infamous 'hairdryer treatment' - as they 'just needed an arm around the shoulder' instead
West Ham's handling of David Moyes' exit has been grubby and unpleasant... the Hammers should be careful with hiring Julen Lopetegui given his track record, writes OLIVER HOLT
Kylian Mbappe a 9/4 favourite to score first in the Champions League semi-final between Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund at the Parc des Princes - while Niclas Fullkrug is the best-backed for the visitors at 9/1
British pool star Lynne Pinches - who walked out of a FINAL vs transgender player - lauds Deta Hedman for her refusal to face trans opponent and withdrawing from darts tournament
Kyren Wilson holds his nerve to clinch maiden World Snooker Championship title after fighting off gritty Welsh rival Jak Jones in gripping Crucible final
Jamie Carragher labels Man United 'one of the most poorly coached teams in the Premier League' after Erik ten Hag's team were thrashed 4-0 by Crystal Palace

Roma and AC Milan also want to sign the 23-year-old
Costa has refused to return to Ukraine during Russia conflict
But Shakhtar are reluctant to let any of their stars leave
Brazilian is reluctant to try to force a move out of Donetsk
Manchester United were once interested in signing him

Published: 04:39 EDT, 22 July 2014 | Updated: 06:00 EDT, 22 July 2014

e-mail

105

View
comments

Arsenal and Tottenham are fighting for the loan signing of Shakhtar Donetsk’s Brazilian forward Douglas Costa, with Roma and AC Milan also keen.

Costa is one of six Shakhtar players refusing to return to Ukraine as conflict rages around the club’s home city – and the two North London rivals are offering an exit route.

But the 23-year-old’s current club are reluctant to sanction a move for one of their top stars, with owner Rinat Akhmetov already stating that: ‘There won’t be a clearance sale.’

VIDEO Scroll down to watch Douglas Costa scoring with deceptive left foot shot for Donetsk

Quality addition: Douglas Costa would offer Spurs or Arsenal a loan signing with Champions League expertise

Impressive: The Brazilian playmaker celebrates scoring against Real Sociedad in Europe last season

And Costa does not want to try to force a move as he does not want to look like a mercenary.

The Shakhtar players 'all run a deadly risk if we are in the region,' Costa said on his Instagram page.

He claimed he and the other five absent players wanted to train in Switzerland during the conflict and were not seeking a transfer.

'I like the club, the people, the city, but I'm afraid,' he said in comments posted alongside a picture of the Shakhtar badge. 'We want to stay at the club, but we must have risk-free working conditions.'

Costa is a former Manchester United target, and a move to Arsenal or Spurs would see either side gain a player with Champions League experience from his time in Donetsk.