Overseas interest complicates São Paulo's plans to renew Lucas deal | OneFootball

São Paulo’s board saw the initial talks to renew attacking midfielder Lucas’s contract come to an abrupt halt in recent days, and the idol’s stay at Morumbi through 2027 has become a real unknown for the club’s directors.

According to what AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR learned from sources in São Paulo’s top brass, the No. 7’s new injury — keeping him off the pitch with two fractured ribs — by itself has already put the talks on hold. But there are other reasons as well.

Lucas and his staff have already received two concrete approaches from clubs abroad: one from the U.S. and another from the Arab world, more specifically Qatar. The name of the club was kept confidential by the sources consulted by the report.

Neither approach has turned into an offer yet, but they are already enough to set off alarm bells for São Paulo behind the scenes.

Officially, Lucas asked the club to wait until the break in the calendar for the World Cup to have as solid a picture as possible of his future. At 33, the attacking midfielder wants the infamous “last big contract of his career.” And at Morumbi, it is understood that there is no way to compete with the financial power of those markets.

On top of that, there is the idol’s own desire. Lucas has never hidden that one of his life goals is to live in the United States. He was even negotiating a move to MLS in 2023 before ultimately following his heart and agreeing to return to Tricolor to become the pillar of their historic Copa do Brasil title. The fact that the U.S. market remains open carries considerable weight.

Lucas is under contract with São Paulo until the end of the year. From the club’s side, the plan is to offer a new deal of no more than two years, with no salary increase. That is a factor in his deliberation, in addition, of course, to the distrust of part of the fanbase, which has traded idolization for criticism amid the string of injuries he has suffered lately.

São Paulo is counting on the adaptation of the No. 7’s children as a factor in the negotiations. Since his return, the player’s children have shown an established routine in the city of São Paulo, and the oldest has even begun following in his father’s footsteps by enrolling in a football school.

In 2026, Lucas has made 16 appearances, scoring three goals and providing one assist. So far, his best season since returning to São Paulo was in 2024, when he recorded 14 goals and 10 assists in 47 matches.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.