Douglas Costa's 'Desperate' Bid to Get Salary Increase Discussed by Uli Hoeness

Douglas Costa has been warned by Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness that courting other clubs in public will not help him earn an improved contract.

The 26-year-old recently gave an interview with German newspaper Bild am Sonntag in which he said he has been in contact with teams from the Chinese Super League, Premier League, Ligue 1 and La Liga.

Costa also said he wants more game time at Bayern and will consider his future at the end of the season, per Goal's Tom Webber.

Hoeness has hit back at the Brazil international's comments, describing them as "a desperate attempt to get a higher salary," and he warned the winger such tactics would not work, per TZ (h/t Dom Farrell of Goal): "That doesn't work with us. He can try 10 more times. He is certainly not a social event."

Farrell added Bayern manager Carlo Ancelotti recently moved to play down Costa's comments, saying he believed they were "primarily representing the motives of the former Shakhtar Donetsk man's agent."

Per beIN Sports, the Italian manager said Costa is happy at Bayern:

Costa is only in his second season with Bayern, having joined the German giants from Shakhtar in July 2015 for £21 million on a five-year contract.

In 2015-16, under former manager Pep Guardiola, he made 23 starts as Bayern won the Bundesliga, netting four goals and providing nine assists, per WhoScored.com.

After 19 games of the 2016-17 league season, he has started just eight matches, and his competitors for a place on the flanks—Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery—have both been rewarded with new deals.

Costa is talented enough that he could demand a starting spot in a number of Europe's other top sides, and there would be a number of suitors should he agitate for a move in the summer.

However, it is clear Bayern will not be swayed by attempts from Costa to force their hand, and they will be particularly unreceptive to him publicly touting links to other clubs.