Manchester City have ‘concrete interest’ in a deal to sign Lucas Paqueta and have held talks with West Ham over a potential deal.
Pep Guardiola has suggested that the Premier League champions will make more signings before the transfer deadline and Brazilian publication GloboEsporte have claimed that City have submitted an offer in the region of £70m for the midfielder.
Paqueta signed for West Ham from Lyon in a club-record deal worth £51m last summer and impressed during the second half of the season as the Hammers won the Europa Conference League.
Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that City’s interest in Paqueta is genuine and initial talks have taken place with West Ham. David Moyes side will be reluctant to lose the 25-year-old however, following the departure of Declan Rice to Arsenal.
Paqueta was full of praise for Manchester City in an interview with Betway Brazil last week, in which he named the Etihad as his favourite away ground since moving to the Premier League and named Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne as his toughest opponents.
“Bernardo Silva and [Kevin] De Bruyne,” Paqueta said on the players who had impressed him the most in English football.
“By the way they see and understand the game. The intelligence in the passes, knowing when to speed up the game and hold on longer. Ease of finding passes. I think I identify with them.”
