Diego Costa reaches verbal agreement to sign with Atletico Mineiro

Diego Costa and Atletico Mineiro have verbally agreed to a one-year contract worth roughly $3 million, Goal can confirm. 

The player, who left Atletico Madrid last December, is expected in Belo Horizonte in the coming days to undergo medical examinations and sign the deal, which is structured similarly to the one Atletico Mineiro gave Hulk.

Costa’s signing was made financially possible by the departures of Bueno, Gabriel, Diego Tardelli and Marrony.

What is the contract given to Costa?

While the base deal is worth $3 million – significantly less than he initially asked for – there are potential bonuses tied to advancement in domestic and continental competitions that could raise the final total.

Atletico Mineiro head coach Cuca was a huge proponent of the deal getting done. He was in favour of the signing from the start of negotiations and help ensure it got to the finish line, though director Rodrigo Caetano was the one responsible for negotiating with the athlete behind the scenes.

The striker is seen as a reinforcement for the current leader of Brazil’s top-flight, and he will be available to the team as soon as he has registered with the CBF.

What happened to the player at Atletico Madrid?

Costa hasn’t played since last December, when his Atletico Madrid contract was terminated six months early.

The 32-year-old cited personal reasons for wanting to leave Wanda Metropolitano after being excused from training, having also made it clear that he had no intention of signing an extension.

He received interest from Benfica earlier in 2021, but a deal never came together.

Costa’s recent goalscoring record

The forward struggled to find the net after his return to Atletico Madrid from Chelsea, netting just 12 times in La Liga across the past four campaigns after scoring 20 times in his final Premier League season.

Atletico Mineiro are now betting that time away from football will have cleared his head and rejuvenated his body.

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