Lucas Paqueta makes West Ham United commitment despite being ‘flattered’ by Man City interest
Lucas Paqueta will not look to force his way out of West Ham despite being flattered by the interest shown in him by Manchester City, according to Sean Whetstone.
The 6foot2 editor tweeted on 16 August that sources close to the Brazilian international have confirmed he will remain professional and give his all for the Hammers while he remains at the club.
He said the 25-year-old midfielder is “flattered” and wants to move to the Premier League champions, but that he has been told the Citizens must match the Irons’ £85million valuation after an initial verbal bid under £70million was rejected.
Positive
This is positive news as West Ham look to try and fend off the interest from Man City by keeping hold of Paqueta during this transfer window.
He gave his all for the Hammers last season following his reported club-record £51million move from Lyon last summer, so it doesn’t come as too much of a surprise to hear that he will remain professional while he remains at the club.
There is a chance the interest will still be there in the next transfer window or in a year’s time, so the midfielder is probably just focused on doing his talking on the pitch in the knowledge that everything will be sorted out if he continues to keep performing well for the Irons.
Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano reported on 17 August that the Hammers remain interested in signing forward Mohammed Kudus from Ajax as a potential replacement for the Brazilian, with talks currently taking place with the Dutch giants.
It looks as though we are prepared to allow Paqueta to leave if we receive a bid high enough during this transfer window, but he will continue to give his all for us until that happens and he deserves credit for that.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers have emerged as serious contenders to sign a Ligue 1 forward.