Tuesday, 12th August, 2014
Monaco are moving quickly to tie up the arrival of Douglas Costa from Shakhtar Donetsk.
Costa has been unsettled at the Miners following growing concern at the political instability in the Ukraine, which has forced the club to move their training base to the capital of Kyiv, with games to be played at the Arena Lviv, over 600 miles from their Donetsk home.
A number of clubs have eyed taking Costa out of the trouble-spot, including Arsene Wenger's Arsenal. But it is Monaco who are poised to win the race.
According to French daily Le Parisien, Monaco are moving towards capturing the Brazilian for a fee of €30m and will push the deal through to its conclusion when Costa receives a Portuguese passport he is due to bank soon.
Shakhtar Donetsk snapped up Costa in 2010 from Brazilian outfit Gremio and he has flourished at the Donbass Arena.
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The attack-minded midfielder has won five Ukrainian Premier League titles, along with three Ukrainian Cups and three Ukrainian Super Cups.
International recognition has eluded the player though, with no senior Brazil cap having been forthcoming.
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