Al Nassr hold fresh talks with West Ham United for blockbuster Lucas Paqueta transfer
West Ham United have held fresh talks with Al Nassr about a summer transfer for Lucas Paqueta, according to Rudy Galetti.
Writing on his personal X account (19 July), the TEAMtalk journalist reports that the Saudi giants had a new meeting with Hammers chiefs recently after initial talks were held at the start of July to make the Brazilian a teammate of Cristiano Ronaldo.
But West Ham are still not interested in selling the playmaker, with the gap between the two parties still “very large”, and the chances of a transfer still being low.
West Ham will not sell Lucas Paqueta this summer
If it wasn’t already obvious from the situation with Flamengo, the Hammers have no intention of allowing Paqueta to leave this summer.
The Brazilian club made an offer that was quickly rejected, and it was made clear that the plan for the 2024/25 season was for Paqueta to be part of Julen Lopetegui’s squad [Sean Whetstone, 4 July].
The player is facing a lengthy ban from football [The Sun, 4 June] after being charged with four counts of spot-fixing, although the player himself denies any wrongdoing whatsoever.
With the player expected to be able to play for the vast majority of the upcoming campaign while they await a hearing, there is now even less reason for a transfer to be considered this summer.
Unless West Ham receive a bid worth £85million that triggers his release clause, Paqueta will be playing in claret and blue at the London Stadium in the 2024/25 season.
In other West Ham news, N’Golo Kante’s stance on a move this summer has emerged.
For more West Ham news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.