West Ham make final concession as Lucas Paqueta moves even closer to exit
Lucas Paqueta now looks almost certain to leave West Ham United before the end of the winter transfer window.
Paqueta is expected to rejoin Brazilian outfit Flamengo, the club where he came through as an academy player before moving to AC Milan in 2019.
The Brazilian midfielder was left out of the squad as West Ham beat Sunderland 3-1 last Saturday, as he tries to push for his exit.
He was officially suffering from a back injury, but with his return to Brazil imminent, it seems that he wasn’t in the right headspace to contribute to Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.
West Ham to let Lucas Paqueta leave now
Paqueta joined West Ham back in the summer of 2022, and he has been a vitally important player for the Hammers over the course of the last three and a half years.
However, the 28-year-old has been linked with a move away from the London Stadium for some time now, dating back to Manchester City’s approach for him in 2023.
According to Jacob Steinberg, there is now growing confidence that Paqueta’s departure will be confirmed before the end of the winter window.
West Ham initially wanted Paqueta back on loan from Flamengo until the end of the season, but the East London side has now conceded that he can leave immediately.
Flamengo’s latest bid of £35.8million was rejected by the Hammers, but the two sides are now close to an agreement nearer to £40m.
West Ham are better without Lucas Paqueta
Many West Ham fans would’ve been concerned when the news first broke that Paqueta wanted to leave, but recent events may have calmed those nerves.
The midfielder hasn’t featured since the Hammers were beaten 2-1 by Nottingham Forest at the London Stadium to drop eight points adrift of safety.
In that time, Nuno’s side have won three games on the bounce, and they are quickly closing the gap to the rest of the Premier League.
Following an extra-time win over QPR in the FA Cup, West Ham beat Tottenham 2-1 in the Premier League, before securing a crucial victory over Sunderland.
The East London side are performing better without Paqueta and have greatly increased their chances of top-flight survival, so let’s get this exit done.
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