Football
ESPN staff 9y

Shakhtar Donetsk's Douglas Costa: Playing at Chelsea would be a dream

Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Douglas Costa has told Globo Esporte that playing for Chelsea would be a "dream" amid reports that the Premier League leaders are targeting the Brazilian this winter.

Costa, 24, has been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge by the British media in recent days, with the Daily Mail reporting that Shakhtar have rejected an initial 16 million-pound offer for the midfielder.

The Ukrainian club are currently on a tour in South America, and Costa is quoted by Globo as saying on Thursday: "It's a dream to play at Chelsea, a unique chance. I will try to negotiate."

Any move for Costa is likely to be dependent on Chelsea letting either Andre Schurrle or Mohamed Salah leave the club this month, while sources told ESPN FC earlier this week that Jose Mourinho is also targeting a January deal for Fiorentina winger Juan Cuadrado.

Costa told La Gazzetta dello Sport back in August that he was "ready for a big club," and would like to follow in the footsteps of his idol Ronaldinho by joining AC Milan.

Shakhtar are facing a struggle to keep a number of their top players, with the city of Donetsk currently the scene of fierce battles between Ukrainian troops and suspected separatist rebels.

Star striker Luiz Adriano said last week that he would be happy to leave the club with his contract running out this summer.

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