Newcastle United are still very interested in signing Lyon’s Lucas Paqueta before the end of the transfer window.
This is according to Sébastien Denis, who reports that should Newcastle’s pursuit of Leicester City’s James Maddison fail, the Magpies will then turn to the Lyon midfielder and are willing to spend up to €50m to bring the Brazilian to St. James’ Park.
Maddison is the priority for Eddie Howe but the Tyneside club have already seen two bids turned down by the Foxes for their star man.
Those offers were said to be around £40m and the second being £50m, reported the Guardian, as the Foxes are said to be holding out for £60m for the Englishman.
Paqueta is also a subject of interest for Premier League clubs such as Manchester City and Tottenham, reports Denis, but their interest has not materialised into an offer as of now.
The Brazilian is said to be open to a move away from Lyon and at Newcastle, he would find himself reunited with former teammate and close friend Bruno Guimaraes, who has blossomed since his January move to the Premier League.
Paqueta is said to be still disappointed by last season’s poor campaign, where Lyon could only manage an 8th place finish, meaning that they missed out on all levels of European competition this season.
A move to Newcastle could see the Brazilian flourish, just like Guimaraes, and whether the Magpies make a move will be seen over the next few days.