Diego Costa, the hero of Atletico Madrid’s recent Madrid derby win over Real Madrid, could be picked for the next Spain squad.
Costa is Brazilian by birth, and played for the Selecao in two friendlies earlier this year.
But he was overlooked for the Confederations Cup, and subsequently began to flirt with La Furia Roja.
He is now a naturalised Spaniard, and because he has not represented Brazil in an official international, still qualifies to play for his adopted home country.
Reports in the Spanish media claim that the local football authorities have submitted the relevant paperwork to Fifa, suggesting that bustling hit-man Costa is in coach Vicente Del Bosque’s plans.
For all Spain’s talent, and for all the strikers jostling for Del Bosque’s affections, the front-line is certainly an area the world champions would love to augment.
And Del Bosque admits that he has been keeping an eye of increasingly impressive Costa.
Del Bosque told Tiki Taka that he is yet to decide who he will call up for Spain’s next World Cup qualifier against Georgia, but that Costa is certainly flickering brightly on his radar.
"We are naming the squad on Friday, and will include the best men for these games," Del Bosque said.
"[Costa] has spent more than five years in Spain, been here since he was 18. So he has been ‘formed’ as a player here, but I do not know if all the paperwork has been done.
“The decision will be made for sporting reasons. If we call him up we are almost obliged to bring him to the World Cup. We are still letting it soak."
Like Liverpool menace Luis Suarez, Costa is the kind of all-action player his opponents love to hate, and his team-mates love to play with.
And Del Bosque says the forward’s form has definitely been eye-catching.
"He has played very well," Del Bosque said.
"He is one of the architects of Atletico’s good form at the moment.”
