Lucas Ribeiro Costa’s transfer from Mamelodi Sundowns will have to be convincing enough for the Brazilian to move on from what he has enjoyed at Mamelodi Sundowns.
Ribeiro has completed two years at Sundowns, delivering 60 goals/assists in 88 appearances.
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His fine showing at the FIFA Club World Cup has ignited widespread speculation linking him to various clubs in Qatar, France, Turkey, and Brazil.
For any of those moves to transpire, Sundowns’ transfer conditions will have to be met, coupled with Ribeiro also agreeing.
While it has been reported that the Tshwane club have set a price tag of R52 million, which suggests an active auction open to the highest bidder, it will take far more than that for a move to happen.
Word from Brazil, where Ribeiro is currently on holiday, is that he is settled at Chloorkop and not even pushing for an exit.
His happiness – which he has told all those back home about – comes from the fact that this is the first time in his career that he has found stability and so is appreciative of that at Sundowns.
The 26-year-old started his career at the youth teams of Sampaio Correa, Moto Club, and Pinheiros, before moving to France and Belgium.
Prior to arriving in South Africa, he was caught up in struggling to break through at Valenciennes while they were in Ligue 2, then only played towards the end of the season in the Belgian second tier while at Royal Excelsior Virton.
It was moves again to RWD Molenbeek and Royal Excel Mouscron during the 2021/22 season, before making progress at SK Beveren, which led to the move to The Brazilians.
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Spending two years playing regularly, winning trophies, and playing at the Club World Cup is of value to Ribeiro and so has left all this transfer talk to his employers.
If Sundowns approves and the move suits him, then he will consider moving, otherwise he will stay.
His contract has another three years to run and will have steep increases every year based on his performances.
Photo: Eurasia Sport Images
