Tottenham Hotspur forward Lucas Moura is reportedly seeking a departure from the club next summer, having slipped down the pecking order under Antonio Conte of late.
What’s the word?
According to Football Insider, the 30-year-old is willing to run down his contract in order to leave on a free transfer at the end of the season, with less than 12 months remaining on his existing deal in north London.
The report suggests that the club do have the option to extend that deal by a further year, albeit with the Brazil international likely to favour a move if he is not able to secure a more prominent role in the coming months.
As the report alluded to, the 35-cap menace was “wanted” by both Newcastle United and Aston Villa on deadline day, albeit with Spurs having rebuffed that interest due to their desire to keep him at the club.
Transfer nightmare
Sporting director Fabio Paratici is seemingly heading for disaster with regards to the diminutive “genius” – as dubbed by one source – with it set to be a real blow if the Premier League side are to lose such an exciting talent for nothing.
Having been signed in a £23m deal back in January 2018, it would no doubt represent somewhat poor business were the Lilywhites to see him depart on a free, with it likely to take a sizeable fee to replace a player of such quality.
While currently on the periphery under Conte – having made just two late substitute appearances so far this term – Moura remains a real key figure for the squad, having showcased his ability to feature all across the front line and even in a wing-back role.
Would you be sad to see Moura leave?
Labelled a “nightmare” to play against by teammate Eric Dier, the £80k-per-week sensation has become a real fan favourite at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium due to his all-action style and committed approach, notably etching himself into club folklore with that Champions League hat-trick against Ajax back in 2019.
It somewhat epitomises his career in England that he was subsequently dropped for the showpiece encounter against Liverpool despite that devastating treble, having never truly been afforded the luxury of a regular stint in the side under a succession of managers.
The former Paris Saint-Germain man has failed to reach 20 top-flight starts in each of the last two seasons, with that struggle for game time only set to be heightened by the addition of compatriot, Richarlison.
That being said, even with the 25-year-old in tow, Conte’s options in attack are still somewhat limited beyond Dejan Kulusevski, Harry Kane and Heung-min Son, with any injury likely to leave the Italian somewhat stretched offensively.
As such, there is still seemingly a role to play for Moura both this season and beyond with the club competing on a number of fronts, with his flexibility also making him a hugely valuable asset to the squad.
To let him depart next summer – particularly on a free – would no doubt be a nightmare scenario.
