what becomes of the great forgotten Jean Lucas?

The Jean Lucas case is an enigma in Monaco. For several months, it has completely disappeared from circulation. The Brazilian hasn’t appeared in the squad since November 3. He then remained seated on the bench in the Europa League against Red Star Belgrade. His last entry on a pitch dates back to a week earlier, on October 27 against Ferencváros, still in C3. We haven’t seen him since and he hasn’t been called up for the match in Lens this evening (9 p.m.). He is however in condition to play, we are told at the club, only Philippe Clément no longer counts on him at all. More surprisingly, he did not leave this winter, when there were offers on the table.

The former Lyonnais, recruited in 2021 against €11 million, had nevertheless started the first three league games as a starter. The heavy defeat against Lens (76 minutes of play, 4-1) is undoubtedly a first explanation for his downgrading. The second reason is the arrival of Mohamed Camara at the end of the transfer window, regular and convincing since his arrival, and the return of a short period of suspension for Youssouf Fofana. That’s not everything of course, but it is clear that Eliot Matazo and now the young Edan Diop are the first replacements for the titular duo.

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The future is being written far from the Rock for the former Flamengo and Santos player. Already this winter there have been offers. Monaco demanded an amount of €6.5m for an element under contract until 2026, but never such an amount reached the management desk. As we told you in January, Troyes and Besiktas offered a loan, when Espanyol tried their luck with a loan with an option to buy €5.5m. The ASM refused, despite the monthly 100,000 euros from the 24-year-old Brazilian, who also did not wish to lower his claims.

There is no doubt that he is living his last weeks in the Principality. And she was recently mentioned the interest of Sporting CP and even first contacts with a view to recruiting him this summer. According to our information, a verbal offer has even been communicated by the Portuguese but still not up to what the princely club is hoping for. However, this case got off to a good start. A transfer would allow Monaco to recover some cash and free up a place as an extra-community player. Despite obvious athletic qualities, he never managed to convince ASM in 49 appearances.