Lucas Moura met with Sao Paulo three times in the last few days but a move away from Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur looks highly unlikely, as reported by Globo Esporte.
It feels that, with almost every day that goes by, another talented forward joins an ever-growing list of transfer targets. It was Leeds United’s Raphinha today, via The Athletic, Gerard Deulofeu over the weekend. There’s Keane Lewis-Potter too, Richarlison also, and don’t forget about Martin Terrier or Jonas Hofmann.
No wonder Lucas is starting to think about life after Tottenham.
The former PSG and Brazil winger admitted earlier in June that it is ‘very likely’ he will re-join former employers Sao Paulo in the near future. Exactly how near, however, is anyone’s guess.
Lucas has just 12 months left on his contract but Spurs retain the option to extend that by a further year, thus protecting the market value of a man who joined for a cool £23 million during the Mauricio Pochettino era.
When will Lucas Moura leave Tottenham?
According to Globo Esporte, Lucas visited Sao Paulo’s offices three times in the last week or so. He even held talks with the club’s president, Julio Casares. The Tricolor are far from confident that Lucas will be running rings around Serie A defenders as early as next term, however with his £90,000-a-week salary just one of many obstacles standing in the way of an emotional return to the Morumbi.
“Most likely (I’ll stay at Tottenham). We never know what might happen. But I’ll probably stay,” Lucas says.
“I have one more year and the club has an option to extend it. I want to play in the Champions League again. Then we’ll see what happens.
“In this window there’s a 90 per cent chance I’ll stay. I’m happy. I was always very happy at Tottenham. Life in England is fantastic, my family and children are used to it. Returning to the Champions League makes it even easier to continue.”
One player who does look set to be on his way before the summer is out, however, is Lucas’ fellow forward Steven Bergwijn. Sao Paulo, meanwhile, sold talented teenager Marquinhos to Arsenal.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
