Cruzeiro agree deal for Al-Ettifaq striker João Costa | OneFootball

Cruzeiro is finalizing the signing of forward João Costa, 21, who belongs to Al-Ettifaq of Saudi Arabia. The news was first reported by Rádio Fã and confirmed by the outlet’s reporting. The player will join the club on loan, with fixed economic rights set for the end of the deal.

Left-footed and capable of playing on either side of the attack, João Costa arrives as another option for the offensive unit of the squad led by Artur Jorge. The player was born in Umuarama, in the state of Paraná, but became a naturalized Portuguese citizen and has been called up to Portugal’s youth teams. In 2024, he also represented the Brazil U-20 national team.

The forward’s career began in Palmeiras’ youth academy, where he at one point shared part of his development with Endrick. Later, João Costa moved to Corinthians and, after playing for the São Paulo club’s U-20 team, was transferred to Roma in Italy.

At the Italian club, the player spent two seasons with the U-19 team and was eventually promoted to the senior squad. Overall, however, he made only five official appearances for Roma before being transferred to Al-Ettifaq in 2024 for 9 million euros, an amount equivalent to about R$54 million at the exchange rate of that period.

Since arriving in Saudi football, João Costa has made 44 appearances for Al-Ettifaq, scoring four goals and providing four assists. Now, the forward is close to changing clubs once again and returning to Brazilian football to play for Cruzeiro.

The signing comes amid intense transfer market activity from Cruzeiro. The club is looking to expand Artur Jorge’s attacking options after injuries to Gabriel Pec and Luis Sinisterra and is working to add more depth to the squad for the rest of the season.

João Costa therefore emerges as another piece for Cruzeiro’s attack, especially because of his ability to play on both flanks. The deal still depends on the completion of formalities between the clubs, but Cruzeiro has already made significant progress toward bringing in the player.

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