Central defender Diego Costa is scheduled to arrive in Thessaloniki on Friday to complete his loan move to Greek club PAOK from Russian side Krasnodar.
PAOK and Krasnodar have reached a full agreement for the transfer of the 27-year-old central defender. The terms outline a one-year loan deal for Costa that includes an option for PAOK to complete a permanent purchase for 8 million euros.
Costa is expected to land in Thessaloniki at 20:25 local time on Friday, Sept 4, on a flight traveling from Istanbul. Upon arrival in Greece, he will undergo required medical examinations and sign his contract to join the team under head coach Alessio Lisci.
Arrival schedule and medical tests
Costa played his final match for Krasnodar on Tuesday, Sept 1. He featured in a cup fixture against Russian opposition Fakel Voronezh before preparing for his journey to Greece.
Club background and loan structure
PAOK, formally known as the Pan-Thessalonikian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans, is a prominent professional football club based in Thessaloniki. Known as the Black-and-Whites, the team competes in the top division of Greek domestic football. Thessaloniki is the second-largest city in Greece and serves as the primary urban center for the northern region of the country.
FC Krasnodar is a Russian football club based in the city of Krasnodar, competing in the Russian Premier League. The club agreed to the loan arrangement to allow Costa to join PAOK under Italian manager Alessio Lisci, who serves as the head coach of the Greek club.
Istanbul functions as a major international aviation hub for travel between Russia and southeastern Europe. In professional football, a loan deal with an option to buy enables a club to secure a player temporarily for one season while establishing a set price to acquire their permanent registration later. Once Costa completes his medical tests in Thessaloniki, he will sign his contract to begin training with Lisci's squad.
