Chinese Super League side Tianjin Quanjian is "confident of completing the summer signing of Chelsea striker Diego Costa" in a "stunning" £76M ($98.2M) deal. Costa has been "offered the chance to become the most expensive player in the Chinese Super League," eclipsing the £71M Shanghai Shenhua paid for Carlos Tevez, and earn more than £25M ($32.3M)-a-year. Spanish reports claimed Costa agreed to join Tianjin, but sources close to the player "believe nothing is yet signed." The "only potential stumbling block" to the deal appears to be if a "big European club" makes Costa a "lucrative offer" (London TELEGRAPH, 5/4).
Three "Melbourne councils representing more than a million people in football's Victorian heartland are moving forward with a bid for an A-League side." Greater Dandenong City, Casey City and Cardinia Shire Councils in southeast Melbourne signed an agreement on Wednesday to "underpin the effort." They enlisted former Socceroo Vince Grella to "assist their campaign as the bid ambassador." The bid will also include a W-League and National Youth League side (AAP, 5/3).
Eredivisie side Roda JC Kerkrade "halted its takeover by Russian Swiss investor Alexei Korotaev after he was arrested in Dubai." Korotaev has been in custody since Feb. 10 for "signing an uncleared cheque." Korotaev's company, AK Investment Holding, said that he seemed to be "the victim of a misunderstanding following an honest mistake or worse, a fraudulent act designed to discredit him" (DUTCH NEWS, 5/4).
