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Man Utd have secret weapon in Tottenham battle for transformative signing as Ten Hag regular reveals ‘great relationship’ with star

Diogo Costa, Rafael Leao, Portugal, June 2022

Manchester United could have the upper hand over Tottenham Hotspur in the chase for a major signing as Diogo Dalot has revealed just how close he is with the transfer target.

Man Utd and Newcastle look set to capitalise after Tottenham dropped out of the Premier League’s top four. The North London side failed to win in four league games between April 15 and April 30, a run which included a dreadful 6-1 thrashing to Newcastle.

Tottenham have since managed to get back to winning ways by overcoming Crystal Palace at home on Saturday. However, they sit in sixth place, behind Newcastle (third), Man Utd (fourth) and Liverpool (fifth).

After stealing a Champions League qualification spot away from Spurs, Man Utd might heap more misery on the managerless club by signing one of their top targets first.

Both teams have been linked with Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa. Man Utd need a replacement for David de Gea, as shown by the Spaniard’s howler in the 1-0 defeat to West Ham, while Spurs must find a successor for Hugo Lloris.

Costa would be a brilliant solution for either club. He has already established himself as Portugal’s number one, despite being only 23 years old. And for Porto this season he has kept 19 clean sheets in 38 appearances.

READ MORE: Man Utd pursuit of world’s most desired signing nears conclusion with ‘huge’ £104m bid launched and player choosing next club

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Spurs are big admirers of Costa, and rightly so. But following the latest comments from his compatriot Dalot, Man Utd may end up winning the race.

During a recent press conference in Portugal, Dalot revealed his ‘great relationship’ with the shot-stopper following the time they spent together in Porto’s academy. Dalot also explained how he is expecting big things from Costa in the future.

Player reveals he ‘grew up with’ Man Utd-linked star

“I grew up with him, he’s my friend, there’s a great relationship between us and I know perfectly well that he has the capacity to one day be a world reference,” the Man Utd right-back said (via Sport Witness). “I don’t know if he’ll be at Manchester United or another big club in Europe.

“He shows at FC Porto that he is a differential goalkeeper and has helped the club a lot. If he continues there, I’ll be extremely happy. If he leaves, I hope he has the greatest success in the world.”

Dalot being close friends with Costa does not automatically mean the latter will end up at Old Trafford. However, Dalot could help Man Utd in their discussions by convincing him that Man Utd are a great club to play for and that Erik ten Hag is getting the best out of the first team.

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Dalot has made 41 appearances across all competitions this term, with 25 of those coming in the league. Despite this, he might not actually line up alongside Costa on a regular basis, should the keeper swap Porto for Man Utd.

Ten Hag is eager to revamp his right-back options, with Inter Milan star Denzel Dumfries and Jeremie Frimpong of Bayer Leverkusen two players in his sights.

Meanwhile, Fabrizio Romano has given Man Utd a boost by shutting down claims one of their transfer targets will head to La Liga.

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