Lucas Paqueta joins Michail Antonio and Aaron Cresswell in push to leave West Ham United as Manchester City bid lined up
Lucas Paqueta “will push to leave” West Ham as a £70million bid from Manchester City is readied for him, according to The Guardian.
Jacob Steinberg reports in on the newspaper’s website Wednesday (9 August) that the treble winners are expected to come in with an opening offer of that amount despite being knocked back in their initial approach, and the Brazilian international is “interested” in the move so is set to put pressure on to get the deal done.
The Hammers are finally starting to sign players with Edson Alvarez arriving imminently from Ajax and advances on Harry Maguire from Manchester United and James Ward-Prowse from Southampton.
But they have already lost star former captain Declan Rice to Arsenal and Paqueta’s fellow big-money signing from last summer Gianluca Scamacca to Atalanta.
The two former Irons wanted moves away during the window, and Nikola Vlasic is set to complete his exit after going public over his frustrations [Tuttosport, 28 July], but Paqueta is now set to join Michail Antonio and Aaron Cresswell in a trio of key men from last season who are still trying to get out amid interest from elsewhere.
Exodus
It’s a good thing that West Ham are finally starting to add to the squad considering the scale of players who still want to leave.
City are capable of turning the heads of most given their recent success, even if Rice apparently wanted Arsenal more earlier this summer.
But given how David Moyes is still desperately trying to fill the hole left by the England international’s exit, and is now going to need another striker to replace Scamacca, it would be a major blow at this stage for the club’s record signing in Paqueta to now head to the Etihad.
Manuel Lanzini has already gone and should Antonio be successful in departing during this window, having stayed in January amid an injury crisis at striker, the Irons’ attacking and central options will need huge work.
Thanks to the delays in getting anything done in terms of incoming business it would give the manager and the technical director Tim Steidten a massive job to do in less than four weeks before the deadline.
And since the pair have been butting heads behind the scenes on transfer policy there is absolutely no guarantee that they could find solutions to everything.
But while West Ham clearly want to avoid weakening themselves further when they have their hands full trying to get signings done they are currently at risk of having a notable contingent kept at the club against their wills.
In other West Ham news, a bargain option has emerged to fill one of the gaps as an Irons striker target has a tiny release clause.