Esperance Tunis complete signing of Lucas Ribeiro Costa

Esperance Sportive de Tunis have confirmed the signing of Lucas Ribeiro Costa. The Tunisian club completed the deal following high-level negotiations held in Libya.

Shakeri Al-Wa’ar, the vice president of Esperance, traveled to Libya last night to finalize the transfer procedures for the Brazilian player. A meeting took place this morning between a delegation from the Tunisian side, led by Al-Wa’ar, and a delegation from the Libyan club, led by executive director Abdelmajid Saleh. The meeting served to conclude all necessary arrangements for the move.

The transfer concludes a period of uncertainty regarding the player's future. Ribeiro was previously with Cultural Leonesa last season after leaving Mamelodi Sundowns. Following the relegation of Leonesa, he became a free agent. While he had reached an agreement to join the Libyan side Al Ittihad under former coach Rulani Mokwena, he changed his decision after Mokwena's departure. This allowed Esperance to secure his services.

This move ends speculation that Ribeiro might return to Mamelodi Sundowns. However, the legal dispute between Sundowns and the Brazilian player remains unresolved.

The successful negotiations were facilitated by the leadership of Esperance president Hamdi Madab and the Libyan club. The cooperation between the two clubs is expected to strengthen relations between the Tunisian and Libyan sides in the future.