Manchester City have a strong interest in West Ham’s Lucas Paquetá and could make a move for the Brazilian before the end of the summer transfer window.
First reported by Marco Conterio, Fabrizio Romano has also carried the news, stating that talks took place with West Ham this week to make the transfer happen but negotiations will not be easy.
A deal will cost Man City at least £70m, according to Conterio, and it remains to be seen if the Manchester club submit an official bid in the coming days for the Brazilian talent.
Manchester City have concrete interest in Lucas Paquetá. Talks took place with West Ham this week ???? #MCFC
Not an easy negotiation but City have added him to summer targets list, as @marcoconterio @geglobo reported. pic.twitter.com/WnMbDkiEav
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 8, 2023
West Ham only completed the signing of Paqueta last summer as part of a deal worth around £51m with Lyon.
The 25-year-old had a positive first season in English football and often showed his talent within a struggling West Ham team. Had the Hammers provided him with a lethal goalscorer upfront, the Brazil international would have had more than the four goals and three assists he bagged across 28 Premier League matches.
£70m is a big price for Paqueta but he is a star that the Premier League champions clearly like. It would be a huge blow to West Ham to lose the midfielder after already losing Declan Rice this summer, which would put them under a lot of pressure for the rest of the transfer window.
Getting sick of all the bad news from these transfer windows !!!