Approximately a fortnight ago, Tottenham Hotspur head coach Antonio Conte had confirmed that Lucas Moura would almost certainly be leaving the club on the expiry of his contract in the summer.
This announcement came after the club had opted against triggering an option to extend the Brazilian’s current contract by a further year to prevent the forward from departing N17 on a free transfer, but now, the 30-year-old is free to speak to foreign clubs ahead of a free transfer in the summer.
Either that, or Spurs can choose to cash in on him for a minimal fee this month. However, Sport Witness revealed yesterday that Lucas had rejected several proposals for a move this transfer window, making that option seem increasingly remote.
Indeed, the report states that both Serie A side AS Roma and Turkish Super Lig outfit Galatasaray had come forward for Moura, but the Brazilian has turned them both down.
According to Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb, the Italians see the Brazilian as a potential replacement for the outbound midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo, and is admired by Jose Mourinho, who of course worked with him during his time in N17.
However, it seems that Lucas is holding out for a free transfer in the summer back to his native Brazil, having been linked with a return to Sao Paulo in the past.
Given Spurs’ recent signing of Danjuma and intense discussions for Zaniolo (even if that also fails to materialise into serious interest), Lucas’ departure would make sense. His injury problems have seen him only clock up 93 minutes of action this season, to the point where even Bryan Gil has clocked up more mileage than him this season.
His days are clearly numbered at the club, and although he has declined the latest set of offers for his services, I would not be surprised to see him depart this month with all this in mind.
In the meantime, have your say on Lucas’ future or any other Spurs-related matters on the Vital Spurs fan forum here.
Lucas is a Bolsonarista. Bryan Gil has a future.