Precious
Former Chelsea and Atletico forward, Diego Costa has reportedly reached an agreement with Benfica after they offered a two-year deal worth £5million for the Spainard.
Costa was released by Atletico Madrid by mutual consent in December, and has spent the last three months assessing his options.
Mundo Deportivo report that he headed back to his native Brazil to speak to some clubs there, but has decided that he wants to stay within European football.
The 32-year-old is said to believe he still has much to offer in the top leagues, and has also turned down an offer by Ligue 1 side Marseille to join them.
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That leaves an exciting chance to return to Portugal, where he previously played for Braga before heading for his first stint at Atletico Madrid in 2007.
It has been reported that Benfica have offered him £2.6m a season to play for them, and Costa has agreed to the move in principle.
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.
As it stands, Costa is set to join Benfica in June, but he is still leaving the door open for a better option and is yet to fully commit to the Portuguese giants.
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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.
They currently sit third, which is the final Champions League spot in Portugal, but have Braga breathing down their necks in fourth place.
It is perhaps not surprising, then, that Costa has decided to wait before confirming his next move – if Benfica drop out of the Champions League places, then it is sure to become a less enticing option for him.
