The race for Mamelodi Sundowns star Lucas Ribeiro Costa is heating up, with Turkish giants now emerging as serious contenders for his signature alongside French Ligue 2 side St Etienne, according to foreign reports.
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Ribeiro Costa, who recently finished as the Betway Premiership’s top goal scorer, has turned heads with his electric displays for Sundowns both domestically and on the continental stage. His standout performances at the FIFA Club World Cup further elevated his profile, catching the eye of scouts across Europe.
A foreign publication named Transferfeed has reported that Trabzonspor were particularly impressed by the 26-year-old Brazilian’s performances at the tournament, where his vision, movement, and lethal left foot were on full display. The Turkish outfit is believed to have added Ribeiro Costa to their summer transfer shortlist, with plans to initiate contact with both the player’s representatives and Mamelodi Sundowns in the coming weeks.
St Etienne, who narrowly missed promotion back to Ligue 1 this past season, are also keen on bolstering their attack and see Ribeiro Costa as a potential game-changer who could fire them back into France’s top flight.
For Sundowns, the growing European interest in their star forward poses a dilemma. Having invested heavily to secure his services and seeing him flourish as a talisman in their pursuit of CAF Champions League glory, the Brazilians will need to weigh up lucrative offers against their ambitions to dominate the continent.
While no official bid has yet been tabled, the Siya crew will keep a close eye on developments as both Trabzonspor and St Etienne weigh up moves for one of the Premier Soccer League’s hottest properties.
Soccer Laduma contacted Sundowns for comment but no response was received by the time this report was published.
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