Guo'an swoops for Lucas

Beijing Guo'an is reportedly closing on a deal for out-of-favor Paris Saint-Germain winger Lucas Moura.

According to Beijing Sports Radio, talks are ongoing over a possible switch to China for the 25-year-old Brazilian, who has slipped down the PSG pecking order since superstar Neymar's arrival at Parc des Princes.

Sources close to the negotiations say an agreement is imminent.

Lucas' capture would make it a trio of Brazilians at Guo'an, which already has midfielders Ralf and Renato Augusto on its roster.

Guo'an general manager Li Ming has made no secret of the club's desire to bring in more foreign players as it looks to improve on last season's disappointing ninth-place Chinese Super League finish.

Speaking to Beijing Sports Radio last month, Li said that as well new signings, fans can expect some players to leave as German coach Roger Schmidt, who was appointed in June, looks to shake up his squad.

Lucas is desperate for an escape route from PSG after the summer signings of compatriot Neymar, from Barcelona, and French teenager Kylian Mbappe, from Monaco, severely limited his game time this term.

He has played just 71 minutes in Ligue 1 this season, all as a substitute.

The transfer makes sense for PSG, too, which is about $94 million short of complying with UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules.

To reduce that shortfall, Lucas is one of a number of players the Qatar-owned French giant has been planning to offload in the January transfer window.

Guo'an, however, isn't the only club chasing Lucas, which PSG is believed to value at around 30 million euro ($36 million).

According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea is keen on the former Sao Paulo star, with the Blues prepared to sell fellow Brazilian Willian in order to fund any move.

French media claim that Chelsea is sounding out potential CSL interest in Willian.

The reigning Premier League champion is well used to conducting business with Chinese clubs having sold John Obi Mikel to Tianjin Teda and Oscar to Shanghai SIPG last January.

Guo'an fans, meanwhile, have greeted the news of Lucas' potential arrival with a resounding thumbs-up on social media.

"After all these years, Guo'an is finally getting a powerful foreign player - I am so excited," one supporter, Li Luanjie, wrote on Weibo.

"There is no place for Lucas at PSG, therefore his decision to come to Guo'an is definitely a wise one," said another fan.

(China Daily 12/06/2017 page8)