Lima’s agent reveals €15m over from Palace was rejected

The agent of Santos ace Lucas Lima has confirmed Crystal Palace failed in their attempts to sign midfielder for €15m (£13.6m) in the summer.

Lima, 26, is keen to make the move to Europe but wants to play for a big side after rejecting Palace on the last day of the summer transfer window.

According to his agent, Edson Khodor, the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Valencia have expressed an interest, while AC Milan is the move he wants following a serious knee injury to Riccardo Montolivo.

“Milan wanted Lucas Lima in August, but Santos were asking for a lot and in the end they moved towards less costly objectives, but In January the negotiations could open up again,” Khodor told Gazzamercato, via Football Italia.

“It’s also true on August 31, transfer deadline day, he was on the verge of a Premier League move. Crystal Palace offered €15m to Santos, but Lucas said no.

“We received various shows of interest, including Paris Saint-Germain and Valencia. Many people have spoken on Lima’s behalf in recent months, but I am his only agent and Antonio Gialloreto has the mandate to negotiate with European clubs.

“Lucas Lima would like to play in Serie A. He’d be very happy to come to Italy. You cannot say no to a great club like Milan… He can fill the Borja Valero role that was in Vincenzo Montella’s Fiorentina, a quality midfielder to help spark moves.”

Lima finished the 2015 Brasileirao campaign as the highest rated player (7.45) but his performances have dipped this time around and he has only managed a WhoScored rating of 6.97.

For more stats on Lucas Lima, click here to visit his WhoScored player page