Diego Costa has been named as the footballer involved in an alleged betting scandal being probed by police.

The 32-year-old striker, currently playing for Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro, has been identified by national press in his homeland as the one of the people being investigated by detectives in his home state of Sergipe.

Police are yet to confirm the identities of those they believe are involved in the alleged wrongdoing.

But they have said that an unnamed footballer is one of the suspects under investigation.

Detectives went public with their operation on Thursday, saying they were probing the practice of alleged crimes, including money laundering and foreign exchange fraud involving online betting site Esportenet.

Unconfirmed local reports asserted Spanish international Diego Costa’s home was among the properties that had been searched.

There has been no official comment from Costa.