West Ham midfielder Lucas Paquets was chased by Manchester City last summer but the move didn’t materialise.
Having sold Declan Rice to Arsenal, David Moyes was in no mood to offload the Brazilian midfield maestro. Pep Guardiol admires him and according to a report from The Mail, Man City are “willing to wait” for the 26-year-old midfielder.
The versatile midfielder has managed 21 starts in the Premier League this season, managing three goals and five assists thus far. He is a key player for West Ham, but there are suggestions that he remains open to moving to City.
The Mail claims that Paqueta’s move to City failed due to an investigation against the Brazilian midfielder by The FA. The midfielder played a crucial role in West Ham’s Europa Conference League triumph last season, and he won’t leave on the cheap if he leaves at all.
He has a contract at the London Stadium until 2027, and an £86m release clause will become active in the summer. The report suggests that City are willing to meet that amount as Pep Guardiola is looking for a replacement for Bernando Silva.
West Ham have nothing to fear
At the moment, it is not clear whether Moyes will stay at the club beyond the end of the season. West Ham badly struggled in the absence of Paqueta recently, which shows what an important player he is to the side.
Paqueta can play in multiple positions. The former Lyon midfielder usually plays as a central midfielder but he is capable of playing in all three attacking midfield positions as well. He would be a very good signing for Guardiola, but West Ham have the upper hand in the negotiation table.
The Brazilian has scored three goals in the Europa League campaign this season, and West Ham need him to deliver once more as they look to overturn their 1-0 deficit in the second leg when they take on Freiburg tonight.
