Manchester City ‘readying improved bid for West Ham United’s Lucas Paqueta’
Manchester City are reportedly preparing to submit an improved offer for West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta.
Pep Guardiola in looking to bolster his squad further following the arrivals of Croatia international Mateo Kovacic and Josko Gvardiol from Chelsea and RB Leipzig respectively earlier this summer.
A new midfielder is believed to be on Man City’s radar following the departure of Ilkay Gundogan to Barcelona, and West Ham star Paqueta has emerged as their top target.
The Citizens have been keeping tabs on the 25-year-old for some time and they explored a possible move for the midfielder last summer before he left Lyon to join West Ham for a club-record £51m.
Paqueta scored five goals and provided seven assists in 41 appearances for the Hammers across all competitions last season and helped David Moyes‘s side win the Europa Conference League.
Although Paqueta still has four years remaining on his contract at the London Stadium, the Brazil international is believed to have had his head turned after learning of interest from Man City and he has expressed his desire to move to the Etihad Stadium.
Man City have allegedly seen an offer of €85m (£73.4m) plus €10m (£8.6m) in bonuses rejected by West Ham, who are holding out for a figure closer to €110m (£95m) without bonuses.
West Ham are under no financial pressure to cash on Paqueta having already recouped £105m from the sale of midfielder Declan Rice to Arsenal, and they would ideally like to keep hold of the Brazilian.
Nevertheless, journalist Fabrizio Romano claims that Man City are readying an improved bid for Paqueta and negotiations between both clubs ae expected to advance.
Paqueta is understood to have already agreed personal terms with the Citizens over a six-year contract and is keen to push through a move to the blue side of Manchester.
In June, Paqueta admitted that Man City are one of three clubs that he has ‘dreamed’ of representing at some stage in his career.
Speaking with Pod Delas, as quoted by The Athletic, Paqueta said: “I don’t intend to leave [West Ham] but it’s clear that we dream of playing since we were little; Real Madrid, Manchester City, Barcelona, these bigger clubs we dream of playing [for].”
Moyes hopes to keep hold of Paqueta, who started in West Ham’s 1-1 draw with Bournemouth on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season, but he has acknowledged that the midfielder has ambitions to play at the highest level.
“There’s a price on everybody’s head. We have had news on Lucas, but not anything to make our heads wobble,” Moyes told reporters on Saturday.
“We wouldn’t want Lucas to go, it’s as simple as that, but I also understand if you were in Lucas’s position. Sometimes it is quite difficult to say to these boys, ‘Sorry, you can’t join Manchester City or Real Madrid,’ because they are two of the biggest clubs in the world.”
West Ham have signed two midfielders so far this summer in Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse, and they have reportedly identified Ajax‘s Mohammed Kudus as a potential replacement for Paqueta.
