Tottenham Hotspur star Lucas Moura came oh-so close to joining Manchester United in 2012 before joining Paris Saint-Germain instead, agent Wagner Ribeiro has told UOL.
It’s no secret that, almost a decade ago, Sir Alex Ferguson was desperate to secure the services of a young Brazilian who had shot to fame with his dynamic dribbling and explosive acceleration during the 2012 Olympic games.
But, until now, it wasn’t clear why the deal didn’t happen despite months of incessant, almost Wesley Sneijder-levels of speculation
Lucas has admitted he was “close” to joining the Old Trafford giants six years before he finally arrived in England with Tottenham.
And, according to Ribeiro, the one-time Sao Paulo wonderkid was indeed on his way to Manchester – until PSG director Leonardo steamed in with an offer that blew United’s out of the water.
“Everything was fine with Manchester United. The Brazilian was going to play in Manchester,” Ribeiro explains.
“But Leonardo entered the situation. He called me and said he was putting together a timaço (a great team), with Thiago Silva, Marquinhos and Ibrahimovic.
“He asked how much United would pay (for Lucas). I said it would be €36 million (£31 million). He said he would pay €45 million (£39 million).
“And how was the rest of the negotiation? I told Lucas that Paris was a beautiful city to live in. He asked to speak to his father. We got everything right and I told Gustavo (Oliveira, Sao Paulo’s director) to fly to Paris.”
Lucas has been a rare bright spark during a miserable 2021 for a Tottenham side toiling under Jose Mourinho, producing seven-out-of-ten performances week in, week out while so many of his teammates fall well below expectations.
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