Lucas Paqueta reacts to claims he is unhappy at West Ham United amid Newcastle United transfer links
Lucas Paqueta has branded the suggestion he is unhappy at West Ham are “fake news” in a post on Twitter on Tuesday (1 August).
The Brazilian star has been linked to a London Stadium exit this summer, after captain Declan Rice was sold to Arsenal and the Hammers have struggled to bring anybody in during the window.
The club-record signing from Lyon last summer changed agents in June, sparking fears he may be looking for a move, and Newcastle have reportedly made an enquiry about signing him [Six Foot Two, 15 July], but he appears to have shot down the speculation.
Responding to a report attributed to talkSPORT’s Alex Crook on Twitter the Brazilian wrote: “Fake News!”
Boost
It may be a small mercy amid a transfer window that has ground to a halt following Rice’s £105million exit but it is clearly positive news for Paqueta to make clear he isn’t agitating to get out.
Until deadline day passes that doesn’t actually mean a departure is completely off the table as everyone has their price and the 25-year-old also has interest from Paris Saint-Germain [90min, 27 June].
Champions League football was what Rice wanted to leave for so the chance to play in Europe’s top competition might be something Paqueta would jump at should the French champions or the Magpies make a big-money bid.
But it at least appears that he isn’t actively looking to jump ship, after a season where West Ham badly underperformed until the Europa Conference League win, amid suggestions that players were unhappy with David Moyes’ playing style.
There is still a huge amount of work to do before the transfer window closes and very little time to do it thanks to a scattergun recruitment strategy and disagreements between the manager and Tim Steidten behind the scenes.
Losing Paqueta would leave an even more gaping hole to fill after the former captain’s departure, but his latest statement suggests that isn’t on the cards for now.
In other West Ham news, the club are set to abandon their pursuit of a “key” Moyes target after being turned down with another bid.