Transfer Centre

Agent: 'Lucas Moura turned down Wolverhampton Wanderers transfer'

By Darren Plant, Senior Reporter | 03 August 2023

Agent: 'Lucas Moura turned down Wolves transfer'

The agent of former Tottenham Hotspur forward Lucas Moura reveals that Wolverhampton Wanderers failed with a bid for his signature this summer.

Wolverhampton Wanderers allegedly failed with an approach for Tottenham Hotspur forward Lucas Moura earlier this summer.

After a five-and-a-half-year stint in North London, Moura and Spurs went their separate ways when the player's contract expired at the end of June.

At the time, it was widely reported that the 30-year-old's intention was to continue his career in Europe, like he had done since 2013.

However, Sao Paulo announced on Wednesday that Moura had agreed a a short-team contract to return to the club until the end of the calendar year.

Moura barely featured for Spurs in 2022-23, his 15 outings in the Premier League accumulating just 140 minutes, but he seemingly had admirers in England's top flight before accepting a return to his homeland.

Lucas Moura celebrates scoring for Tottenham Hotspur in December 2021 © Reuters

According to agent Junior Pedroso, Wolves were keen on adding Moura to their ranks, likely with the promise of more game time than he had received in his final 12 months in the capital.

Nevertheless, speaking in an interview with UOL, Pedroso said that the West Midlands outfit were an option that were not considered as 'interesting' as Sao Paulo.

When quizzed on the teams that had put forward proposals, Pedroso revealed: "Wolverhampton, Monterrey and Los Angeles FC were on the table."

Pedroso added that it was Monterrey that provided the best financial offer, with Moura accepting 'less than half of what he would earn' in Brazil than he would in Mexico or the United States.

Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Julen Lopetegui reacts on July 29, 2023 © Reuters

While there is no mention of the money on offer from Wolves, it has been widely documented that Wolves are currently battling to stay on the right-hand side of FFP.

Even with fees in the region of £90m being generated through player sales and the wage bill being significantly slashed, Wolves' only senior addition this summer remains Matt Doherty on a free transfer.

Head coach Julen Lopetegui has openly stated on more than one occasion that he has been left frustrated with the situation, one which will not change until further exits are facilitated.

As it stands, it appears highly unlikely that Wolves will make any more signings before they square off against Manchester United in the Premier League on August 14.