West Ham United can afford to lose Lucas Paqueta as Manchester City transfer news emerges
West Ham have had a disastrous 2024 so far, with the East London club dropping down the Premier League table in the early stages of the year, as well as being knocked out of the FA Cup.
There are several reasons behind their below-par displays, but one definitely involves the absence of Lucas Paqueta.
The Brazil ace has been sidelined with a calf injury for some time now, and David Moyes has missed him massively.
But the London Stadium boss could soon lose his midfield star forever amid interest from Manchester City, with The Standard reporting on Friday (23 February) that he remains a target for the Manchester outfit ahead of the summer transfer window.
West Ham are equipped to deal with Lucas Paqueta exit
The Hammers lost their main man Declan Rice last time out, but they filled the hole he left very well with James Ward-Prowse and Edson Alvarez.
And that is exactly what can be done should Paqueta exit the London Stadium this summer, with technical director Tim Steidten doing a fine job in transfer windows so far.
Moreover, just like Rice, it would require a very substantial fee for any club to snap up Paqueta, with a huge fee set to arrive if it was indeed Manchester City who were to win the race.
West Ham fans would be gutted to lose Paqueta, particularly to a Premier League rival, but recent history has shown that they should be more than capable of bouncing back with a new star straight away.
Even if they did not recruit a talented player immediately, fans can relax with the knowledge that Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen are available to be called upon.
In other West Ham news, a Hammers ace is on the radar of an international manager amid concerns regarding one of his London Stadium teammates.
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