The LA Galaxy have signed former Brazil attacker Douglas Costa, the team announced on Thursday.
Costa, 31, had been on loan at boyhood club Gremio from Italian giants Juventus, but, after relegation to Serie B last month, the Brazilian side is facing a significant cut to its finances. As a result, Gremio will loan Costa to the Galaxy for six months, at which point his transfer to Los Angeles will be completed, with his MLS contract running for another 18 months..
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"I had heard many positive things [about the Galaxy]. I know that it's a winning team, but had not been winning for some time now. I take this as a motivator, to try something different and come here to bring LA Galaxy to the top again," Costa told reporters on Thursday.
"There are levels of good and he is the top level of good. We're excited to add him into our group," LA Galaxy coach Greg Vanney added.
Costa has played for some of the world's biggest clubs. In addition to his time at Juve, he had two separate stints with Bayern Munich. He began his pro career with Gremio in 2008 before securing a move to Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk in 2010.
After spending five seasons in Donetsk, during which he won 11 trophies, Costa made the move to Bayern, where he spent the next two campaigns. During his time in Munich, Costa won two Bundesliga titles as well as a DFB Pokal.
His stint in Turin with Juve was also prolific, winning three Serie A titles. A loan spell at Bayern during the 2020-21 season saw him claim another Bundesliga title. He returned to Gremio on loan but couldn't prevent the club's first relegation since 2004.
All told he has made 462 league and cup appearances, scoring 68 goals.
At international level, Costa has made 31 appearances for Brazil, scoring three goals. He was part of the squad that reached the quarterfinals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.