Premier League winger Lucas Moura admits he would like to re-join Sao Paulo but his contract situation at Tottenham Hotspur makes a summer departure ‘difficult’, speaking to Globo Esporte.
Not so long ago, it almost felt as if, given the clear disparity between the starting XI and the rest, the Spurs XI almost picked itself.
Thanks to a terrific January – arguably Spurs’ most successful transfer window in the last decade – that is no longer the case.
Lucas, like fellow forward Steven Bergwijn, has found game time increasingly hard to come by in recent months, relegated to the bench by the outstanding Dejan Kulusevski.
The Brazil international has started just two of the club’s last 16 games as Antonio Conte guided a renewed, revived Tottenham side into the promised land of the Champions League.
But, with Kulusevski staying and with just two years left on his contract, has Lucas played his last game for the London giants? Will he be wearing the Tricolor of Sao Paulo next time he steps onto the turf for a professional game?
Tottenham Hotspur’s Lucas Moura wants Brazil return
“I don’t like to create expectations where there are none. It’s a difficult issue to resolve,” Lucas explains.
“Today, I have a contract with Tottenham. The fee is difficult for Sao Paulo. There is also the salary. It’s difficult. The reality is that I do think about returning, but I have never made a clear date.”
According to Brazilian journalist Jorge Nicola, Lucas’ £90,000-a-week wages are ‘completely incompatible with the reality of Sao Paulo’.
Nicola believes the former PSG winger may have to wait until 2024 – when he becomes a free-agent – in order to seal a return to where it all began.
Lucas, however, sees things differently. According to him, a move back home could potentially be on the cards in just 12 months’ time.
“Why not?” Lucas said when asked if he could return to the Morumbi in 2023. “It might be (possible). I’ll still be fine, I’m 29 years old. I’ll have a lot of wood to burn. It’s a possibility.
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“If something doesn’t come up that catches my eye at a big club in Europe, a club that I like, Sao Paulo is a very strong possibility.
“Sao Paulo has always been in my head. When I see I am approaching the end of the contract and I still haven’t had any contact with a specific club, which I would like, Sao Paulo is a very strong option. Going back to my country, to the club where I was formed…
“But you have to wait and see.”
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