Wolves' reported interest in Costa makes little sense and it would be a surprise if he joined

Wolves are apparently among the clubs chasing free agent Diego Costa this summer.

According to a report by Brazilian outlet UOL, Bruno Lage is ready to battle his old club Benfica to land the hitman.

But we’ve been here before. In July 2019 and then in January as well, after he left Atletico Madrid.

Both times, it never got close. Wolves were in desperate need for a striker in the winter and the deal didn’t happen.

Atletico de Madrid v Elche CF - La Liga Santander — Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images

So why would it be any different this time around? Granted, Costa would be a free transfer, but he wouldn’t be cheap.

He’d likely expect to see some of the money that Wolves would save by not paying a transfer fee bolster his wage packet.

The Fosun model has been all about buying young talent who will improve. That way, even if the move doesn’t work out, there’s still sell-on value.

There’s none with Costa and when Raul Jimenez is back next season, he wouldn’t even be the main striker.

SD Huesca v Athletic Club - La Liga Santander — Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images

Mir replacement?

Bruno Lage – who reportedly wants Wolves to do the Costa deal – does prefer a 4-4-2 but would Costa and Jimenez be a good pairing?

Both would want to be the main man. Costa would basically be coming in to add striking depth alongside Jimenez and Fabio Silva.

Rafa Mir could offer that backup but apparently wants out of Molineux, having turned down a new deal.

The deal doesn’t fit Wolves’ model and looks far too expensive during a summer when all the noises have been that the club need to be careful and can’t spend big before they’ve offloaded a player or two.

Yet again, the links with Costa make little sense. We’re not saying the move definitely won’t happen, but we’d be very (pleasantly) surprised if it did.

Opinion

Wolves’ reported interest in Costa makes little sense and it would be a surprise if he joined

Mir replacement?