Douglas Costa eager to return to Italy after wretched period at Bayern

Martin Macdonald

• Updated: 19 May 2021 15:43 BST
• 2 min read

Douglas Costa, on loan at Bayern from Juventus, has revealed his desire to return to Italy when his temporary stay in the Bundesliga is over.

During the summer, Bayern were desperate for backup in the winger areas, with Kingsley Coman and Leroy Sane the only recognised wide-players within the squad.

Sane, too, has missed plenty of games since signing for Bayern due to injury.

With the transfer market hugely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, money became tight, so Bayern were forced to look at inexpensive options to give themselves more options on the flanks.

In the end, sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic sanctioned a loan move for Costa, who had previously played for the German giants between 2015 and 2018.

However, the move has proved to be a failure for both Costa and Bayern.

The Brazilian has made just six starts in all competitions this season including three in the Bundesliga, where he has just one goal and one assist to his name.

One of his rare starts came in the DFB-Pokal fixture earlier in the campaign which saw Bayern knocked out by tournament minnows Holstein Kiel on penalties after drawing 2-2

What has Costa said?

With a permanent move to Bayern off the table, he says Italy is where he would like to continue his football next season.

“I would like to return to Italy, a country that I appreciate very much,” he told Italian football journalist Pierluigi Pardo.

“Let’s see what happens. I still have a contract with Juve.”

Though Costa’s ideal scenario would be to try save his career with the Bianconeri, it is likely that the Serie A side will sell him this summer as he is out of contract in the summer of 2020.

Even though a transfer fee could be minimal, they run the risk of keeping Costa for a season, not playing him, and then losing him for free.

FootballTransfers previously reported that Leeds are looking into the possibility of signing Costa this summer if their coveted winger Raphinha leaves for pastures new.