Crazy: Former Bayern star set to move to Serie D

This news is causing quite a stir: A former star of Bayern Munich and Juventus is on the verge of a move to Serie D. There's apparently a curious plan behind it.

15 January 2026

From: det

He won the German championship three times with Bayern Munich, and the Serie A title three times with Juventus – and now Douglas Costa is on the verge of a move to Chievo Verona in Serie D, Italy's fourth division. This news from transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio caused quite a stir on Thursday.

The 35-year-old Brazilian most recently played for Sydney FC, but his contract in Australia was terminated prematurely due to legal issues in his home country of Brazil. Costa has been without a club since September 2025 and is now on the verge of joining Chievo Verona, who were Obermais' opponents in the Serie D Cup in September.

Via Verona to Dubai

Various media outlets speculate that there's a plan behind this transfer. Costa is supposed to finish this season at Chievo Verona before being transferred to Al Ittifaq in Dubai. Al Ittifaq's president is Pietro Laterza, who is also the boss of Chievo. Either way, Serie D can look forward to a former world-class winger whose speed once made a name for himself at Bayern Munich (97 games, 15 goals, 30 assists) and Juventus (103 games, 10 goals, 22 assists).