Mamelodi Sundowns have indicated they are open to resuming negotiations after turning down an initial proposal in the region of R61 million from Qatar SC for their Brazilian forward, Lucas Ribeiro Costa.
On Thursday, it emerged that the reigning PSL Footballer of the Season had written to Sundowns to express his desire to terminate his contract.
Ribeiro, whose strike against Borussia Dortmund was named best goal of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, has submitted his case to the FIFA Tribunal. He is represented by Belgian attorney Jean-Louis Dupont. The latter is notable for his victory in the 1995 landmark case involving Jean-Marc Bosman.
Lawyer Dupont stated that Qatar SC made an offer for Ribeiro that significantly exceeded the player’s valuation and that he was eager to join the Qatari top-flight club. According to Transfermarkt, as of 28 May 2025, the 26-year-old was worth €2.5 million [about R51.1 million].
The offer made by Qatar SC was US$3.5 million [R61.7 million]. Ribeiro, has a contract that runs until July 31, 2028, with Sundowns.
Ribeiro’s lawyer claims that the South African champions “attempted to drive up the price, again and again, in an unreasonable manner. And this was without any regard for the player’s personal interests, which made the deal impossible”.
SUNDOWNS OPEN TO RESUMING NEGOTIATIONS WITH QATAR SC
In their statement on Thursday, Sundowns hinted they were committed to “continue with these discussions and negotiations. They added that their “deep commitment is to advance the interests of the players and the club…”
A source close to the Ribeiro matter indicated that the club is open to further discussions to see if they can “find each other”.
However, Sundowns are clear that they will not be pressured into accepting an offer below their valuation of the player. Ribeiro arrived in South Africa in 2023 for a transfer fee of approximately R41 million.
He is yet to feature for Sundowns in the new 2025/26 season. So far for the club, Ribeiro has scored 37 goals and provided 23 assists in 88 games across all competitions. He also finished as the Betway Premiership’s top scorer last campaign.
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