Chelsea target Douglas Costa reveals Paris Saint-Germain admiration ahead of likely summer exit

Shakhtar Donetsk attacking midfielder Douglas Costa appears to have cast doubt on rumours that he could join Chelsea this summer by admitting it would be a pleasure to represent Paris Saint-Germain.

Links between Brazil international Costa and the Premier League leaders have been circulating for a number of months now and were considerably strengthened in March when the player revealed in an interview with FourFourTwo that he would be interested in a switch to Stamford Bridge to link up once again with compatriot Willian and work under manager Jose Mourinho.

Costa has featured in 16 of second-place Shakhtar's 21 Ukrainian Premier League fixtures so far this season as the conflict in rebel-held Donetsk has forced Mircea Lucescu's side to temporarily relocate to the western city of Lviv.

Indeed, the 24-year-old was among six players who reportedly refused to return to the country at the start of the season due to fears regarding their safety amid the ongoing unrest.

While those concerns were eventually eased, Costa, who has also been tracked by Manchester United since moving to Europe, seems set to end his five-year association with Shakhtar this summer and PSG have now emerged as a contender for his signature.

"It is true that I like them [PSG]. In the last few years they have become a big club and it would be a pleasure to wear their colours," he told French programme Telefoot as reported by the London Evening Standard.

Despite having moved three points clear at the top of Ligue 1 with a 3-1 victory over Metz on 28 April, PSG have largely flattered to deceive in recent months and a third successive quarter-final exit in the Champions League has given cause to doubt if manager Laurent Blanc will remain in the job beyond the summer.

Wealthy owners Qatari Sports Investment are evidently keen to see progression in Europe and with doubts continuing to surround the futures of Edinson Cavani and Javier Pastore despite recent comments made by club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, it certainly would not be a surprise to see them spend heavily once again on a host of new arrivals in a bid to assert continental dominance.