Brazilian forward Lucas Ribeiro Costa left the Mamelodi Sundowns training camp in Rustenburg on Saturday, and FARPost has uncovered the reasons behind his departure.
Sundowns are currently at the Royal Marang in Rustenburg, preparing for the start of the 2025/26 season.
They will kick off their campaign with a match against Richards Bay FC at Lucas Moripe Stadium in the MTN8 quarter-final on Sunday evening.
The Brazilians resumed training on Monday, July 21, after a break following their participation in the FIFA Club World Cup. They returned to Chloorkop last Monday and left for Rustenburg two days later. On Saturday, Ribeiro, who is a contender for the Footballer of the Year award, left the camp.
WHY LUCAS RIBEIRO COSTA LEFT SUNDOWNS’ CAMP?
FARPost can confirm that Ribeiro requested to leave camp with negotiations for his potential transfer at an advanced stage.
The 26-year-old, who arrived in South Africa in June 2023, was a vital cog for Masandawana last season as they won their eighth successive league title, tallying 25 goal contributions in 51 games across all competitions.
The latest development leaves his availability for Sunday’s tie hanging in the balance. Ribeiro capped off a remarkable campaign with an impressive performance at the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, earning the Goal of the Tournament for his spectacular solo effort against Borussia Dortmund.
While he has garnered interest from clubs in Qatar, France, and Belgium, his home country club, Fluminense, is reportedly keen on his signature. Interestingly, the 33-time Campeonato Carioca champions recently sold their Colombian attacker, Jhon Arias, for an initial fee of £15 million [approximately R350 million].
Like Ribeiro, Arias also shone at the Club World Cup this summer as Fluminense reached the semi-finals, where they were defeated by Chelsea. Sundowns’ permitting him to leave the camp could indicate that his exit is imminent.
Born in Santa Helena, Ribeiro began his career at Pinheiros before moving to France early on to join Valenciennes. In 2020, the left-footed attacker signed with Charleroi and was subsequently loaned to RWDM, a Belgian First Division B club. He later played for Mouscron and Waasland-Beveren.
RELATED STORY: Lucas Ribeiro beats Messi, Musiala to claim CWC’s top honour
