FC Porto Extends Diogo Costa’s Contract to 2030 with €60M Release Clause

Diogo Costa’s signature — inked just before the holidays — secures FC Porto’s goal until 2030, trims his buy-out fee to a still sizeable €60 M and quietly pushes him into the club’s highest wage bracket. For supporters in Portugal, the move feels less like administrative housekeeping and more like an early Christmas present that stabilises the spine of a title-chasing squad.

Quick Takeaways for Dragão Fans

• Deal locked until 2030, adding 3 extra seasons to the previous term

• Release clause lowered to €60 M, down from €75 M

• Salary leap reportedly places him near the €2.5 M net annual mark

• Captain since 2024, the 26-year-old is the longest-serving player in the current squad

• Boasts 11 clean sheets in 15 Liga Portugal matches this campaign

Christmas Came Early for the North

FC Porto revealed the renewal on 23 December, branding it a “prenda de Natal” for the blue-and-white faithful. After all, several Premier League scouts had been regulars at the Estádio do Dragão this autumn, fuelling fears of a summer exit. Costa himself called the new contract “a vote of trust” from the club where he first enrolled as a 12-year-old in Infantado.

The Money and the Maths

In an era when release clauses tend to rise, Porto opted for a tactical €15 M haircut, wagering that a more realistic figure might deter legal tug-of-war yet still guarantee a hefty windfall. Internally, the keeper now joins the tiny circle of players earning above €2 M net per year—a category previously reserved for star attackers. That financial reshuffle may nudge Porto’s wage bill past €65 M this season, but club sources insist UEFA’s new squad-cost rules remain comfortable.

A Season of Safe Hands

Statistics from the first half of 2025-26 bolster the club’s gamble:

• Liga Portugal: 15 games, 4 goals conceded, 82.6 % save rate and a goal allowed every 315 minutes.

• Europa League: 6 outings, 5 goals against but two crucial shut-outs that sealed top spot in the group.

• Taça de Portugal: 90 tidy minutes and progression to the last-16.

The numbers helped Costa earn a place on FIFA’s FIFPro World XI shortlist last month and the league’s latest “Clean Sheet” award after Matchday 15.

Dressing-Room Echoes

Head coach Francesco Farioli labelled his captain “the tactical metronome of our build-up”. Assistant Eduardo Moreira went further, calling the renewal “oxygen for the locker-room”. Teammates privately admit the keeper’s decision to stay eased uncertainty over several winter-window negotiations, notably for Iván Jaime and Pepê.

Strategic Ripple Effects

Porto’s board view the extension as a two-fold hedge:

Sporting stability: retaining a home-grown leader through the prime goalkeeper years (26-31).

Market leverage: a €60 M clause remains high enough to bankroll a partial squad rebuild if future bids materialise.

Analysts at consulting firm Football Benchmark peg Costa’s market value at €40 M, meaning the clause still offers a 50 % premium. In practical terms, only the continental elite—clubs with revenues above €600 M—could realistically test Porto’s resolve.

Implications for Seleção Aspirations

Roberto Martínez has made no secret of his admiration for the shot-stopper, starting him in every competitive match since March 2023. A stable club environment offers the coach a dependable first choice ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, sparing the national set-up the rotation headaches experienced during the pre-Euro 2024 cycle.

Looking Ahead

Barring unforeseen twists, Costa will stand between Porto’s posts for another four and a half seasons, giving the club rare continuity in a position historically prone to big-money departures. For local fans, the agreement symbolises more than numbers on paper: it underlines the enduring appeal of staying à casa when Europe’s wealthiest suitors come calling.

Bottom line: Porto secured its most valuable defensive asset, the player secured his long-term future, and supporters secured a little extra holiday cheer—all before the bells of Ano Novo begin to chime.