West Ham United could accept a bid from Manchester City for Lucas Paqueta in the summer, should Pep Guardiola rekindle his interest.
According to Football Insider, West Ham United could contemplate the sale of Lucas Paqueta, and they might accept another bid from Manchester City. Pep Guardiola remains an admirer of the 42-cap Brazilian international and could rekindle his interest in the midfielder.
West Ham United could accept Lucas Paqueta bid
Back in the summer, despite selling Declan Rice to Arsenal for a staggering £105 million, there were heavy rumours that West Ham might also part ways with Lucas Paqueta. However, the 42-cap Brazilian international remained at the club amid some controversy and has helped the team immensely with his performances.
Manchester City were keen and seemed very close to signing him, with reports suggesting the Hammers had accepted an £80 million offer for the Brazilian international. However, there were some betting allegations placed on the midfielder, which may have seen Pep Guardiola’s side withdraw from the race.
While there is still no outcome to the betting investigation, there are chances that West Ham might again contemplate a sale of the midfielder in the coming window. The suggestion is that the Hammers might accept another sizeable offer from Manchester City for the Brazilian, as they might end up demanding a similar price tag.
Manchester City have maintained an interest in Paqueta, although there are chances they might want to pay less, especially if the allegations persist. Should Guardiola’s side come with an offer, the Hammers are likely to accept it and let the midfielder leave.
Does Manchester City need Paqueta?
Pep Guardiola lost Ilkay Gundogan last summer as the German’s departure left a massive void for Guardiola to fill using the months left in the transfer window. Immediately, Rice became his primary target. But Arsenal ousted them for the England international, which made Manchester City then sign Matheus Nunes.
Before the Portuguese midfielder’s arrival, they went close to signing Paqueta but eventually dropped out of the race. The Brazilian remains keen to join Manchester City despite not managing to move last summer. From Guardiola’s perspective, he still needs that viable Gundogan replacement in his side, and might view Paqueta as that player.
