Man City ‘Still Interested’ in Deal to Sign Lucas Paqueta

Highlights

• Manchester City have West Ham United playmaker Lucas Paqueta on their list of targets amid uncertainty over Bernardo Silva’s long-term future.
• The Sky Blues pulled out of a £80million deal for the Brazilian when the Football Association opened a betting investigation against him last year.
• Transfer insider Dean Jones believes that Manchester City could be forced to contend with stumbling blocks in their pursuit of Paqueta.

Manchester City are ‘still interested’ in luring Lucas Paqueta to the Etihad Stadium, but transfer insider Dean Jones has told GIVEMESPORT why it will be ‘a tough deal to do’ after Aston Villa have also entered the race for the West Ham United star’s signature.

The Sky Blues held successful negotiations with the east Londoners in January, when boss Pep Guardiola allowed Kalvin Phillips to head to the capital after the Hammers agreed to fork out a loan fee and pay the entirety of his wages, but the Spanish tactician has set his sights on raiding David Moyes’ squad in the coming months.

Paqueta became the most expensive signing in West Ham’s entire history when he completed a £51million switch from Lyon in August 2022, and he is firmly on Manchester City’s radar as they put plans in place ahead of the summer window opening for business.

Paqueta earmarked as target amid fears of Silva sealing Sky Blues exit

Paqueta has been identified as a potential replacement for Bernardo Silva by Manchester City, according to the Telegraph, and they could up the ante in their pursuit if the Portugal international leaves the reigning Premier League champions ahead of the 2024/25 campaign getting underway.

The report suggests that West Ham’s talisman has been on Guardiola’s shortlist of potential acquisitions since he headed to England for the first time in his career and, having racked up close to 25 goal contributions during his spell in the capital, the interest has refused to go away.

Silva has been linked with Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and big-spending clubs in the Saudi Pro League in recent months, leading to Manchester City making plans ahead of him potentially bringing the curtain down on his Sky Blues career, and statistics highlight that Paqueta would be an ideal replacement.

Manchester City backed out of a £80million deal to acquire Paqueta when the Football Association opened a betting investigation against him during the early stages of the season, forcing Guardiola to turn his attentions elsewhere, but their admiration has remained throughout the campaign.

Respected reporter Jones recently told GIVEMESPORT that the Brazilian could be influential in West Ham chief Moyes attempting to save his job, having been absent for a number of fixtures due to suffering an injury during the FA Cup third round tie against Bristol City in January before returning to the starting line-up against Brentford earlier this week.

But Manchester City are not the only outfit eager to pounce for Paqueta as it has emerged that Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Manchester United are prepared to launch bids if the Football Association take no action following the conclusion of their betting investigation.

Dean Jones – Guardiola remains eager to land Paqueta despite facing competition

Although Jones believes that joining Aston Villa would not be a bad option for Paqueta, who has been described as ‘unbelievable’ by teammate Tomas Soucek, he believes that the playmaker is more likely to head to Manchester City if he leaves West Ham ahead of the 2024/25 campaign as Guardiola is continuing to keep tabs on his situation ahead of potentially pouncing.

But the reputable journalist feels that the Premier League title-chasers could face difficulties in luring the £150,000-per-week earner away from his current employers as last season’s Europa Conference League winners will not entertain cashing in unless a lucrative offer is put on the table.

Jones told GIVEMESPORT:

“I don’t think that Aston Villa would be a bad move for Paqueta, to be honest. But, if he is going to leave West Ham, it’s going to take something special in terms of what they are promising him for the future.

“Considering his performances across the season, you could probably say that he is West Ham’s most important player in terms of making that team tick.

“Villa obviously have their work cut out in terms of signing him because I have heard that Manchester City are still interested in him and might have something to say about where he goes next.

“I can’t believe for one second that Villa would be able to sign Paqueta without some competition from Manchester City.

“It’s a tough deal to do – and probably expensive – but I think it is also a reflection of just where Villa are right now and where they’re heading.”

De Bruyne identified as leading target for Saudi Pro League

Kevin De Bruyne has been earmarked as one of the Saudi Pro League’s top targets ahead of the transfer window reopening for business, according to 90min, but the Manchester City creative midfielder’s representatives have given no indication of him being interested in heading to the Middle East for the next stage of his career.

The report suggests that the Sky Blues will not sanction the Belgium international’s exit without a fight as they are keen to tie him down to a new contract, thanks to him being due to tick into the final 12 months of his £400,000-per-week deal in the summer, and Guardiola has publicly admitted that he wants to retain his services.

It is understood that Saudi Arabia’s top four clubs have placed De Bruyne high on their respective wishlists and are prepared to take advantage of their backing from the country’s Public Investment Fund as they look to agree a fee, but he snubbed the opportunity to leave Manchester City last season.

Reliable journalist Ben Jacobs recently told GIVEMESPORT that key figures in the Gulf state are eager to secure the 32-year-old’s services as they prepare for another lucrative recruitment drive in the summer, while Liverpool duo Mohamed Salah and Thiago Alcantara are also wanted.

De Bruyne became the second-most expensive arrival in British history when he completed a £54.5million switch from Wolfsburg in August 2015, and he has gone on to win some of football’s biggest prizes – including the Champions League and Premier League – during his stint on Manchester City’s books.

All statistics according to FBref and WhoScored