Douglas Costa to Bayern Munich: Latest Transfer Details, Reaction and More

Shakhtar Donetsk's Douglas Costa finally received his long-awaited transfer on Wednesday, as the Brazil international completed a move to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.

The news was announced by Shakhtar's official website, which confirmed a fee of €30 million.

The 24-year-old attacking midfielder arrives as a potential replacement for longtime winger Franck Ribery, who continues to struggle with injuries and only featured in a handful of matches for the Bavarians last season, per Norwegian pundit Jan Aage Fjortoft.

He certainly has the dribbling ability to play out wide, although he has played his best football in a central role in the past, per OptaFranz:

Costa moved to Europe to join the ambitious project in Donetsk when he was 19 years old, forming a strong alliance with compatriots like Willian and Bernard. For years, they dominated the Ukrainian league, although their monopoly on the title was broken last season, as more and more stars started to leave the club.

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine hasn't helped matters, and at the start of last season, Costa was one of six players who temporarily refused to return to the country after playing a friendly in France, per the Associated Press and Guardian staff (for the Guardian).

Costa always seemed likely to leave the club during the summer, and earlier this year, it appeared he had his mind set on Chelsea. As reported by Goal, the Brazil international was in awe of the west London club and its manager, Jose Mourinho.

Speaking to Chevrolet Brasil Global Tour, he said: “The subject has been discussed a lot in recent months. Chelsea are one of the great teams in Europe and Mourinho is one of the best coaches in the world.”

Instead, Costa is headed for Bayern, who saw what he's capable of up close during the 2014-15 Champions League, when they played Shakhtar during the round of 16.

Not everyone appears to be in favour of the move. When the news of Bayern's interest was first announced, along with a potential fee of €35 million, FourFourTwo's Lucas Swain remarked that would make the Brazilian one of the club's most expensive signings.

The Bavarians haven't thrown a chunk of money at a relatively unproven South American since signing Breno Borges, one of the club's most memorable recent transfer flops, and Bleacher Report's Clark Whitney rightly noted Bayern have been very cautious when signing similar players ever since:

Costa somewhat bucks the trend. Although he had some success in the UEFA Champions League, he usually played his best matches against lesser opposition, and didn't make much of an impact any time Shakhtar met a top team.

He's an excellent player, however, and with Bayern in dire need of more depth out on the wing, this was a necessary signing. There's no telling how Costa will fit into Pep Guardiola's squad, but if he can find his form in a hurry, the fee will be money well spent for a club desperately looking for Arjen Robben's new partner.