Douglas Costa is nearing an agreement with Gremio, but he will have to convince Juventus to free him up from his contract. An emissary of the club will meet the Bianconeri later in the week to verify if they could be willing to rescind his deal. The Tricolor wants to complete the acquisition by May 23rd, the deadline of the transfer market window in Brazil, Goal.com reports.
Costa, who is on loan at Bayern Munich, finished the season early because of a foot injury. He has posted one goal and 3 assists in 22 appearances across all competitions. The German side has no plans to retain him. His pact with the Old Lady will expire in 2022, and they have no intention of keeping him on the roster next season.
Gremio vice-president Marco Herrmann and CEO Carlos Amoedo recently met Costa to discuss the salary. The winger will take a significant pay cut compared to his time in Europe and could settle for about €3.6M per year. Herrmann told the site: “We have improved our offer, and we have gotten closer to his demands. He will now try to terminate his contract with Juventus. If they did, I am sure we will come to terms.” They began considering the signing in late March.
Costa joined the Old Lady from Bayern Munich in 2017 for a total of €46M between the fee for the initial loan and the option to buy. He started well but, despite being highly regarded by his coaches, his last two seasons in Turin have been completely derailed by continuous muscular problems.