Details emerge in FA investigation into West Ham star Lucas Paqueta as Manchester City move suspended
Santi Aouna has reported new details surrounding a Football Association probe over potential alleged betting breaches involving West Ham ace Lucas Paqueta.
The FootMercato journalist reported via Twitter (18 August) that the FA is looking into claims that relatives of the Brazil international have betted on matches in which the midfielder played in.
Earlier on Friday 18 August, the Daily Mail exclusively confirmed that the FA is investigating Paqueta, though the newspaper did not provide specific details.
The Daily Mail wrote: “Mail Sport contacted the FA and West Ham on Friday, and we are contacting Paqueta’s camp for comment.”
Sky Sports later reported that Paqueta denies placing bets and is “shocked” by the news.
Unclear
The news that Lucas Paqueta’s move to Manchester City from West Ham had broken down on Friday came a little bit out of the blue, and these reports shed some light on what might have transpired behind the scenes.
For West Ham, the focus should still be on adding reinforcements to the team, with Mohammed Kudus, Elya Wahi, and Konstantinos Mavropanos all heavily linked with a switch to the London Stadium.
The Hammers have raised significant funds this window with Declan Rice and Gianluca Scamacca leaving, and Paqueta had appeared to bring in even more funds with City interested but that looks unlikely to happen now.
Of course, there is also the not-so-little matter of a London derby with Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday (August 20), with David Moyes needing to prep his side for that fixture. The Scot will be keen to ensure that all the focus is on that fixture.
In other West Ham news, the club have another attacker on their shortlist, according to Fabrizio Romano.