Arsenal among clubs tracking 22-year-old Porto right-back

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Arsenal have been credited with an interest in FC Porto right-back Alberto Costa, with the 22-year-old attracting attention across Europe after a strong start to life back in Portugal.

According to Caught Offside, the Gunners have joined a growing list of clubs monitoring the defender, who moved to Porto from Juventus last year after struggling for regular minutes in Turin.

The report adds that Costa would be open to a move to a big club and to testing himself in the Premier League, though any deal would hinge on Arsenal and Porto agreeing a fee whenever the next window opens.

Why the right-back position is under review

On paper, Arsenal are well stocked in the position. Jurrien Timber and Ben White are both established options, and Cristhian Mosquera offers further cover having played there since arriving at the club.

The issue has been availability. Timber and White have both spent significant spells on the sidelines during their Arsenal careers, and Mosquera is currently injured, leaving the depth chart thinner in practice than it looks in the squad list.

That is the context behind the reported interest. The suggestion is that Arsenal are looking at whether the position needs reinforcing rather than actively closing in on a signing, with a decision potentially left until the end of the season.

Who is Alberto Costa?

Costa is 22 and has been regarded as one of the more promising full-backs on the continent in recent seasons, even if his time at Juventus did not deliver the volume of minutes his reputation warranted.

His return to Portugal has changed that. Regular football at Porto has allowed him to continue developing, and his performances have kept him on the radar of clubs across Europe rather than just in Lisbon and Porto.

It is worth noting where this report originates. Caught Offside are an aggregator of transfer news rather than a tier-one source, so this should be filed under early-stage interest rather than anything approaching a concrete pursuit. No bid, valuation or negotiation has been reported.

The bigger picture

Arsenal have shown a clear preference in recent windows for signing players in their early twenties who can grow into the squad rather than arrive as finished articles, and Costa's profile fits that pattern.

Whether that translates into action depends heavily on how the rest of the campaign unfolds. If Timber, White and Mosquera can all string together sustained runs of fitness, the need becomes far less pressing than it currently appears.

For now, Costa is a name on a list — one of several the club's recruitment team will be assessing before any decisions are made ahead of the next window.