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The days are getting longer, the weather is getting warmer, and just in case there was any doubt that the season was nearing its end and the transfer window wasn't far off from opening, we've got our first major story today linking a player with a Liverpool move because of a Tweet.
And not even a Tweet. A like of somebody else's Tweet. Douglas Costa, the 26-year-old Bayern Munich attacker who has found himself down the pecking order this season in Germany and having only managed 21 Bundesliga appearances so far, liked a Tweet mentioning Liverpool.
That like of a Tweet has since been picked up by The Liverpool Echo and The Mirror and The Mail, all wondering if maybe this means Costa might know that Liverpool are in fact interested in signing him—or might at the very least be hoping that they are.
Douglas Costa to Liverpool? Look at his most recent Like pic.twitter.com/5NoGUgcrex
— Spion Kop (@TheKopHQ) April 27, 2017
On paper the speedy Costa would seem an ideal wing target for Liverpool, who have identified Julian Brandt as their top summer transfer target in attack but face serious competition for his services. If they don't get Brandt, they could do a lot worse than trying to lure Costa.
With one of Brandt's suitors even rumoured to be Bayern Munich, it might even set up a chain reaction where, having missed out on their top attacking target to the team that now employs Costa, Liverpool could then turn around and nab the Brazilian for a relative bargain.
Certainly if Brandt were to end up moving to Bayern it would further reduce Costa's minutes at the club. The one downside from Liverpool's point of view would be that while Brandt has some experience filling in at striker, Costa has only played as a support player in attack.
In addition to his 21 Bundesliga appearances, Costa has played nine times in the Champions League and twice in the German cup for Bayern, scoring seven goals and nine assists in all competitions. There's also really no reason to think Liverpool are actually interested in signing him.
Still, now that it's out there it's unlikely to go away. Especially given Liverpool's interest in Brandt and Bayern's interest in Brandt and what it would mean for Costa's prospects if Bayern Munich were the ones who ended up signing Bayer Leverkusen's rising star.