Former Juventus winger Douglas Costa all set for shocking Italy return | OneFootball

Former Juventus star Douglas Costa is on the cusp of finalising his return to Italian football by joining fourth-tier club Chievo Verona.

The 35-year-old is a Brazilian winger who started his career at Gremio and rose to prominence during his stint at Shakhtar Donetsk.

The explosive star then spent two years at Bayern Munich before joining Juventus in the summer of 2017.

Chievo Verona on the verge of signing Douglas Costa

The former Selecao star showed flashes of brilliance during his three years in Turin, but never quite fulfilled the initial expectations, partially due to recurring injury issues.

Costa returned to Bayern for a brief loan spell in 2020, and then had stints at his original club, Gremio, as well as LA Galaxy, Fluminense, and, most recently, Sydney FC.

Douglas Costa and Paulo Dybala during their time at Juventus (Photo credit should read MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP/Getty Images)

The winger has been unattached since leaving the Australian club in the summer, but he has certainly taken everyone by surprise with his imminent next move.

According to several sources in Italian football, including Gianluca Di Marzio, Costa has agreed to join Chievo Verona, as he’s expected to sign a contract in the coming hours.

Douglas Costa’s plan: From Verona to Dubai

The Flying Donkeys enjoyed a miraculous rise to prominence in the late 1990s under the guidance of Luigi Delneri, but the club was declared bankrupt and defunct in 2021.

Chievo have since re-emerged through a phoenix club owned by Pietro Laterza, who also owns Al-Ittifaq, a second-division club in the United Emirates.

Therefore, the plan is for Costa to initially join the Serie D side for a brief spell, and help them secure a promotion to the third tier, before leaving to join the Dubai-based club, where he would play alongside Mario Balotelli, who has recently signed as well.