West Ham midfielder withdrawn from Brazil squad and he was betting with investigation
Investigation is believed to centre around Paqueta getting booked in games, with the bets being placed in Brazil; Paqueta denies placing any bets himself; FA and Man City have declined to comment
West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta has been withdrawn from the Brazil squad amid concerns surrounding an FA and FIFA betting investigation.
The investigation is believed to centre around Paqueta getting booked in games, with the bets being placed in Brazil, and the 25-year-old will now miss World Cup qualifiers against Peru and Bolivia in September.
Brazil interim head coachFernando Diniz said: “Paqueta was on the list. He’s a player I like a lot. It’s a time for him to resolve these issues. People need time to sort out these issues. He’s a player I love.”
He was booked nine times for club and country last season.
Paqueta says he has not placed any bets himself and is said to be shocked by reports.
An £80m deal for Paqueta to join Man City has almost been agreed and could still happen if the issue is cleared up quickly.
The FA and Man City have declined to comment. Sky Sports News has also approached FIFA for comment.
Paqueta deal on hold – but not off
Sky Sports News Dharmesh Sheth on the Transfer Show:
“The deal is on hold, but it’s not off – and it could be resurrected if this issue is cleared up and cleared up quickly.
“We heard from David Moyes, who said they have rejected a bid from Manchester City. West Ham value him at £85m or possibly even more.
“There is a release clause in his contract which kicks off next summer, which means West Ham can charge whatever they want. He has four years left on his contract with the option of an extra year.
“We are told that Paqueta is focused completely on playing for West Ham and he’s been training as normal today ahead of playing Chelsea on Sunday.”
What impact will this have on West Ham’s transfer window?
Sky Sports News Dharmesh Sheth on the Transfer Show:
“Will it impact their pursuit of Ajax midfielder Mohamed Kudus?
“We are told that Tim Steidten, the sporting director, is sill out in Amsterdam having held talks with Ajax officials over the last couple of days.
“We are told that West Ham will make an approach for Kudus independent of what happens with Paqueta. We think the interest is still there and you can understand why, because they don’t want to leave themselves short in case the deal with Man City resurfaces again.
“With two weeks to go, this is late in the window enough – so they need someone else in.
“Even before Man City approached West Ham for Paqueta, the interest in Kudus was already there.”
READ MORE:
West Ham want to drive down £44m price tag for Ajax ace Mohammed Kudus
Ajax have put a £44million price tag on West Ham target Mohammed Kudus, with the two clubs currently apart in valuation, according to Jacob Steinberg.
Writing in The Guardian, the journalist reported (18 August) that the Hammers are looking to drive down the price for the 23-year-old midfielder.
Although, it doesn’t appear the difference between the two clubs is massive, with Steinberg writing that West Ham are “looking to pay a slightly lower fee.”
David Moyes’ side were preparing for the likelihood of Lucas Paqueta leaving by targeting a move for the Ghana international attacking midfielder.
Ongoing
It appears as if a deal between the two clubs is not yet close to being agreed with a gap in valuation still existing. However, while the East London outfit will, of course, want to secure the best deal possible, the Dutch side are well within their rights to ask for a fee of £44million for their player.
He was exceptional for Ajax last season, scoring 18 goals while providing seven assists in all competitions, and reminded supporters of his worth by getting off to a scoring start in the club’s opening match of the current campaign, during their 4-1 win over Heracles.
Having already successfully negotiated a deal for Edson Alvarez this summer, the relationship between the two clubs is likely to be relatively smooth and this difference in price points shouldn’t provide too much cause for concern.
Moyes will be hopeful a deal can be concluded sooner rather than later.
