West Ham’s star midfield player Lucas Paqueta is reportedly keen on sealing a transfer back to one of his former clubs.
The Brazil international has played for European giants such as AC Milan and Lyon in his career so far, while he started out at Flamengo in his home country.
And it’s now the latter he’s looking for a move back to, according to reports in the Brazilian media today.
Paqueta has struggled to recapture his best form for West Ham this season, and it seems he’s now pushing to be allowed to leave the London Stadium.
It remains to be seen if the Hammers will sanction Paqueta’s exit, but if so, it is reported that he would like the chance to return to Flamengo.
Could Lucas Paqueta be on his way out of West Ham?
This is not the first time we’ve seen speculation about Paqueta’s future while he’s been at West Ham, but could this finally be the time we see him leave?
The 27-year-old is a fine player on his day, and has previously been strongly linked with Manchester City, though the deal never materialised.
It now seems like interest from bigger clubs like that has cooled, leading Paqueta to seek a way back to his first club.
One imagines WHUFC might now be more open to a sale than before, though it’s surely also worth trying to keep hold of their best talents after a difficult campaign.
Graham Potter has inherited a difficult job at West Ham, and it would surely be easier to rebuild next season if he isn’t tasked with replacing a big name like Paqueta.