Manchester City ready ‘monstrous’ Lucas Paqueta bid, want West Ham United star at ‘all costs’
Manchester City want Lucas Paqueta “at all costs” and are lining up a “monstrous offer” to West Ham for him, according to Tutto Sport.
The Italian outlet reported on their website Friday evening (11 August) that the treble-winners are prepared to put €100million [£86.2m] on the table for the Brazilian international after having their first offer of €80m [£68.9m] rejected because they are intent on prizing him out of the London Stadium.
The 25-year-old has emerged as a major target for Pep Guardiola late in the window, and while the Hammers don’t want to sell him, the club’s record signing has reportedly already “said yes” to City and wants to go [Foot Mercato, 9 August].
According to Jacob Steinberg in The Guardian (9 August) Paqueta is ready to “push” for an exit and there is “concern” at West Ham how he will react if denied the move.
Late
It is probably going to take a “monstrous” offer for this deal to get done simply because it is so inconvenient for West Ham to crop up at this stage.
Having already sold Declan Rice for over £100m this summer to Arsenal, with Gianluca Scamacca and Manuel Lanzini also leaving since then, the Hammers have finally been focusing on getting replacements in.
David Moyes and Tim Steidten’s disagreements had already helped contribute to delays in much-needed arrivals getting wrapped up, so contending with another major exit now is the last thing they need.
Huge money coming in again this summer might make a Paqueta deal financially acceptable, but with so little time to turn the cash around and make an adequate signing to replace him it won’t be practically very useful.
But if the former Lyon man has had his head turned to a major degree then it is obviously going to be a risk to force him to stay, especially when there have been rumblings of discontent in the dressing room under Moyes since last season.
Scamacca was one big-money arrival who only lasted a year before wanting out, and it is looking a lot like Paqueta will be another.
Perhaps West Ham can line up a replacement and get them in before the deadline in order to mitigate the damage to the squad, but there is going to be so much turnover in such a short space of time it is hard to see how the start of the season isn’t going to be affected now.
In other West Ham news, a Premier League rival is causing a hold up in another one of Moyes’ transfer pursuits according to Fabrizio Romano.