Porto may lower Diogo Costa’s release clause to secure new deal | OneFootball

Diogo Costa sees his contract expire in June 2027 (that is, at the end of next season), but according to this Sunday’s edition of the newspaper O Jogo, negotiations for the renewal are taking longer than the FC Porto board anticipated, despite it being the most desired outcome for all parties involved.

The process began last August, before the start of the 2025/26 season, when the first proposal was presented, and the board led by André Villas-Boas expected to have everything concluded by the end of October, which did not happen. However, a new meeting – potentially decisive – is scheduled as soon as the goalkeeper returns to the national team.

On the table is a contract until June 2030, which would make the Portuguese international the highest-paid player in the blue and white squad, in line with the importance he has assumed on and off the pitch in recent years.

On the other hand, the release clause, currently set at 75 million euros, may be reduced. The Dragons show no concern: they made a financial effort to secure the goalkeeper in the last summer transfer window and consider that, despite the interest from other clubs, he turned out to be one of the best signings.

Renewal discussed between World Cup 2026 qualification and the Portuguese Cup

At 26 years old, Diogo Costa is experiencing one of the best moments of his career and is an undisputed choice for the coaches – both at FC Porto (the Italian Francesco Farioli, who only used Cláudio Ramos in the Portuguese Cup) and for Portugal (Roberto Martínez, despite criticism and competition, especially from Rui Silva).

This Sunday, at 2:00 pm (Portugal mainland time), the Portuguese-Swiss native of Rothrist will be guaranteed in goal for the national team in the decisive match against Armenia, which could secure direct qualification for the 2026 World Cup, at Estádio do Dragão, a stage he knows well.

The national team currently leads Group F with ten points, followed by Hungary with eight, the Republic of Ireland with seven, and Armenia with three. Thus, although the goal is victory, a draw may be enough – as long as Hungary does not beat the Republic of Ireland by more than three goals.

Once this matter is settled, Diogo Costa will return to the Jorge Costa Training and Sports Development Center, in Olival, to prepare for the fourth round match of the Portuguese Cup against Sintrense, scheduled for 8:15 pm next Saturday, also at Estádio do Dragão.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.