The Old Trafford leadership has had their eye on the FC Porto goalie for a while.

According to rumours, Manchester United sent a scout to observe FC Porto custodian Diogo Costa in preparation for a prospective transfer to the Premier League.

What has changed since Costa joined United?

As David De Gea’s current deal expires at the end of the current campaign and he has not yet agreed to new terms, the 23-year-old has been named as a potential replacement should he leave in the summer.

The Porto international’s contract isn’t due to expire for another four years, but his recent performances at the Estadio do Dragao and at the 2022 World Cup have drawn attention.

The Red Devils have reportedly been keeping a close eye on the custodian for more than a year, but the club’s original interest has increased since Erik Ten Hag’s appointment as manager at Old Trafford, according to reports.

Manchester United “had an official” at FC Porto’s 2-0 victory over Pacos De Ferreira on Saturday night, according to A Bola (via Sport Witness), to watch Costa. The top-flight giants have made the 6 foot 2 colossus a “clear target” and one of the “obvious options” to take De Gea’s place in the summer. It should be noted that the Rothrist native frequently gets his name “pushed forward” and that his contract contains a €75 million (£66 million) release clause.

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Would Costa make an excellent De Gea replacement?

Jacek Kulig, a talent scout, has labelled Costa a “superman” for his consistently excellent goalkeeping performances, and based on his statistics this season, he would be a great acquisition for United.

According to Transfermarkt, the giant of Adidas has maintained an incredible 70 clean sheets from 182 appearances over the course of his career, including 17 in 36 games this season across all competitions, while he’s made 51 saves from 68 attempts on target for a success rate of 76.5%.

According to FBRef, the Gestifute client enjoys experimenting with the length of his passes and is effective in doing so, completing 121 of 122 short passes and 447 of 453 medium passes since the term’s beginning.

Last but not least, Costa has nine titles to his name, both at the club and international levels, and has twice been honoured for his individual contributions by winning the Goalkeeper of the Season award, so it truly is a no-brainer of a deal to close.