Transfer News: West Ham United launch bid for Tottenham Hotspur target Lucas Paqueta
According to Sky Sports (h/t Evening Standard), West Ham United have launched a surprising bid for Lucas Paqueta. The Olympique Lyon midfielder is also of interest to Tottenham Hotspur.
The report adds that the Hammers have bid €40 million for the Brazilian playmaker. Should the deal go through, the 24-year-old will become the 11th signing for David Moyes’ side this summer.
Spurs were interested in the midfielder but did not make any such offer. Antonio Conte is currently focused on selling players, after having spent big this summer.
Paqueta moved to the French league in 2020 from AC Milan. Since then he has established himself in the Lyon side. The attacking midfielder is one of the best young talents in his trade and has the potential to become much better.
The 24-year-old has made 80 overall appearances for the French side since joining them and has scored 21 goals and provided another 13 assists in the process. He was in fine form last season too and was voted the best Foreign Player in Ligue 1 for the 2021-22 campaign.
Should Spurs have gone after him, it would be difficult to see where he would fit in the team. Conte has already bought in Yves Bissouma this season. The club has four midfielders fighting for a place in Conte’s two midfield systems.
Adding Paqueta to this overfilled midfield would make very less sense. Plus, a regular player at Lyon, he could have been reluctant to potentially lower his playing minutes. The 24-year-old would be eyeing a place in the Brazil national squad for the World Cup this November.
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But that does not mean he can never join the Spurs. Conte could monitor his performance in the Premier League with the Hammers. If satisfied, they could go after him next season. If not, the club would have dodged a bullet. It remains to be seen if missing out on the 24-year-old does hamper our campaign this season.
