Tottenham Hotspur could let Lucas Moura leave the Premier League for free next summer with Flamengo joining Brazilian rivals Sao Paulo in pursuit of his signature, reporter Mauro Sant Anna says on his YouTube channel.
Now, the 35-time Brazil international has never played down his desire to head back to South American at some point in the future. It certainly feels like a case of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’.
Exactly how soon Lucas is back in Brazil, however, depends largely on Tottenham. And, perhaps, how charitable they’re feeling.
Lucas’ will be a free-agent next summer as things stand. But there is a clause in his contract which, if triggered, will keep the former PSG winger in North London for a further 12 months.
Not that Sant Anna is expecting Tottenham to take up such an option, indicating that Antonio Conte and co are unlikely to stand in Lucas’ way should either Flamengo or Sao Paulo make the 30-year-old an offer he cannot refuse.
Tottenham forward Lucas Moura wants Brazil return with Flamengo and Sao Paulo keen
“Flamengo is monitoring the situation of Lucas Moura. Despite having another year-and-a-half on his contract, he wants to return to (first-team) football and believes he has a lot of wood to burn,” Sant Anna explains.
“Due to the good relationship he has with Tottenham’s board, they could agree to let him leave for free. The club would not make it difficult for him to leave at the end of this season.”
Lucas has played just 93 minutes of Premier League football this term, having fallen behind the likes of Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski in Conte’s pecking order. Ruslan Malinovskyi, should he arrive from Atalanta, would further restrict Lucas’ opportunities, meaning it would make little sense to keep him against his will for a further season.
Flamengo beat Athletico Paranaense in the final of the Copa Libertadores recently. Given the choice, however, Lucas is likely to opt for Sao Paulo instead. He retains a strong emotional connection with the club who gave him his big break in football.
‘I want to go back to Sao Paulo’
“My thought is to finish this season with Tottenham. And, free of contract, I will sit down with my family and listen to offers,” he tells Flow Sport Club.
“Then (I will) analyse everything: the country, the club and the financial side. Now, I’m very calm here. If Tottenham wants to renew (my contract), cool, I like them a lot. I’m settled here. If they don’t want to, I’ll leave for free and more offers will appear.
“I’ve always said that I want to go back to Sao Paulo,” adds Lucas, who previously said that a return to the Morumbi was ‘very, very likely’.
“It’s the club I love. But I never set a deadline. I said that I wanted to spend at least 10 years in Europe; playing at a high level, come rain or shine. Now let’s see what happens, what (offers) appear.”
Lucas would have to take a substantial reduction on his £80,000-a-week wages to re-join the Tricolor, however. As Sant Anna points out, Sao Paulo are ‘unable to pay even half’ of such a sum (Spotrac).
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
