Lucas Paqueta will ask to leave West Ham United if they are relegated, Arsenal ready to make offer
Lucas Paqueta will ask to leave West Ham this summer if the club are relegated, with Arsenal ready to make an offer according to Fichajes.net.
The Hammers splashed out a record sum to sign the Brazilian midfielder last summer, but he has struggled with injuries and the form of the team to register just two goals and two assists this season.
Despite that he is seen as a key member of the squad, but a new report suggests that if the club can’t maintain their Premier League status then he will look to move on this summer with Mikel Arteta a big fan of his profile.
“Lucas Paquetá is one of the names that Mikel Arteta likes the most because it is a profile that fits perfectly with his idea of the game and that he can occupy various positions in the midfield area,” they wrote (27 March).
“If they fail to stay in the Premier League, Luca Paquetá would ask to leave and Arsenal would welcome making an offer.”
Expected
If West Ham end up getting relegated then a lot of this squad will likely get picked off and end up elsewhere rather than playing in the Championship next season.
Declan Rice is likely to leave regardless of where West Ham are playing, while there has been talk that Gianluca Scamacca could have a relegation clause in his contract too.
But Paqueta shone at the World Cup for Brazil and was highly coveted by teams across Europe before his move to West Ham, so the likelihood is that all those teams will return and look to take him away.
His wages are big and he is a hugely saleable asset, which in the worst case scenario would have to be looked at.
But West Ham won’t want to let him leave at a big loss, or a loss at all, so whatever offer that Arsenal are likely to be readying better be high or it’ll be for nothing.