North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham are hot on the case to sign Shakhtar Donetsk forward Douglas Costa amidst reports the player has fled the Ukraine during the current political conflicts with neighbouring Russia.
Costa is believed to have turned on his heels in a bid to seek safe refuge from the warzone that has edged frightfully close to his club, training ground and family home in the Ukraine.
The Brazilian striker, who has played for Shakhtar for four-and-a-half years, is currently in Switzerland with five of his team-mates and took to social media to inform his Shakhtar followers that whilst he is loyal to the club, he fears for his life and will not return until the unrest has calmed down.
He posted a photograph of the Shakhtar badge on Instagram with the following statement:
“I want to clarify that I am not abandoning the club. I’m afraid.
“Everything we read, see or hear is that the situation in the country is quite complicated. We do not know under what conditions we can train much less where to play.
“I have no problem at Shakhtar. I like the club, the people, the city, but I’m afraid of other conflict situations.
“I regret that all this is happening, but at this time we all run the risk of life if we are in the region.
“We talked with the leaders and we proposed to remain in Switzerland to train until this situation is resolved. We want to stay at the club but need to have working conditions without risk.”
According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal and Tottenham are both keen to offer the 23-year-old a short-term solution to his problem by way of a one-season loan deal which will see him maintain match-fitness and continue to play football at the top level without tying him in on a long-term basis.
That way, Costa remains committed to the club he has vowed to be loyal to and either loan club would benefit from the addition of an accomplished goal-scorer, which would offer more options up front.
But, Shakhtar’s owner Rinat Akhmetov is believed to have taken a dim view of the Londoners’ offerings. Despite the war with Russia showing no signs of settling down, he insists it is ‘business as usual’ and the Ukrainian Premier League Champions will proceed to kick off their new season’s fixtures this coming weekend.
Akhmetov has warned clubs off making attempts to poach his top players during the crisis period, saying he will not be swayed into offering cut-price deals.
He has also informed his fleed stars they will face fines should they opt to take their careers into their own hands be absent from the club for a long period of time.
With the ongoing problems between the Ukraine and Russia, Shakhtar Donetsk face a potentially rocky season of uncertainty ahead.