Hapoel Beer Sheva have barely had time to enjoy their first Israeli title in a decade, and already the reigning champions are staring at the prospect of losing a second key player this summer.
ONE reports that Lucas Ventura, the Brazilian full-back who has become a fixture in Ran Kozjuk's side, is now pushing to leave the club after watching teammate Kings Kangwa's move to Panathinaikos roughly triple his own salary.
According to the report, club sources describe Ventura as more motivated by a financial upgrade than by any particular pull toward a bigger European league or a fresh professional challenge — a reading that will unsettle a Beer Sheva hierarchy already absorbing one departure.
The unease reportedly boiled over on the training pitch this week, when Ventura did not train properly and was pulled out of the session by Kozjuk. ONE says the club has downplayed the incident as minor and already resolved, but its timing — coming straight after Kangwa's exit was finalised — is unlikely to be a coincidence.
Kangwa's departure is now official business. Beer Sheva have agreed to sell the Zambian midfielder to Panathinaikos in a deal ONE puts at around €4 million plus a 25 percent cut of any future transfer fee, with Israeli outlets including Israel Hayom and Radio Darom reporting the overall package, including bonuses, could rise toward €4.5 million.
Panathinaikos saw off competition from AEK Athens, who had offered around €3.5 million but attached conditions — reportedly including a request that Kangwa not be released to face Israeli opposition in Champions League qualifying — that Beer Sheva were unwilling to accept, according to Radio Darom.
Kangwa, widely regarded as the best foreign player to pass through Beer Sheva in recent seasons, stayed on despite the interest to help the club through their Champions League qualifying tie against Vikingur before making his exit, ONE notes.
A club representative quoted by ONE explained the logic behind letting him go: once Kangwa received an offer worth close to a million euros a year, and had been agitating for a step up since the previous season, the club felt it could no longer justify standing in his way.
The sale is understood to have been greeted quietly with satisfaction at rival clubs. ONE reports that both Maccabi Tel Aviv and Beitar Jerusalem were pleased to see a player of Kangwa's calibre leave a direct title rival.
For Beer Sheva, the timing is awkward. The club won the championship in May under Kozjuk, beating Maccabi Tel Aviv 4-2, and rewarded the coach with a new two-year contract on the back of it. Losing Kangwa was always going to sting; losing Ventura in the same window would be a far heavier blow to a squad built to defend the title.
Club officials are said to be searching for a replacement of similar quality to Kangwa, wary that a double exit could derail Beer Sheva's championship defence before it has even begun.
