Medhi Benatia, the former sporting director of Marseille, revealed that the club had followed Lucas Da Cunha for a year and a half and had engaged in discussions to sign him. Benatia confirmed that Olympique Marseille attempted to acquire the attacking midfielder from Como during the winter transfer window to anticipate the competition. However, the deal did not proceed because the Italian club's financial demands were considered too high by the Marseille management. Benatia explained that the player was too expensive, which caused the club to abandon the signing. He added that because of the price, the French club changed its objective and instead focused on Quinten Timber to reinforce its midfield.