Mineirao, Belo Horizonte, Brazil - February 1, 2022, Brazil's Lucas Paqueta reacts.
Manchester City have emerged as frontrunners to sign Lyon star Lucas Paqueta for manager Pep Guardiola this summer, according to reports.
The Lowdown: Eastlands overhaul taking shape…
The Premier League champions, after retaining their domestic crown in sensational fashion last season, are beginning to see a real summer of change with major players coming through the door and long-serving big names having departed.
Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Fernandinho come as the high profile Eastlands exits of this window while the likes of Erling Haaland, Stefan Ortega, Kalvin Phillips and Julian Alvarez have put pen to paper on moves to City.
Reports have suggested there could be even more movement as the Sky Blues remain linked to even more new additions like Brighton star Marc Cucurella and Villarreal defender Pau Torres.
The Latest: Man City one of ‘most credible’ Paqueta options…
Indeed, according to L’Equipe (via GFFN), it appears City have now emerged as one of Lyon star Paqueta’s ‘most credible’ options this summer.
It is claimed that, out of all interested sides, Guardiola’s side are the ‘most advanced’ but even that isn’t particularly far and a move may depend on midfielder Bernardo Silva’s mooted potential exit.
The Verdict: Make the move?
If Bernardo does in fact end up leaving Manchester, with the Portuguese coming as arguably irreplaceable, Paqueta could be an interesting option.
The 24-year-old finished last season as one of Lyon’s best-performers by average match rating whilst making a serious contribution going forward with nine goals and six assists in Ligue 1 (WhoScored).
Back in January, Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas claimed any interested side would have to pay around €80 million (£68m) to seal a move for Paqueta but the Brazilian has no shortage of plaudits.
Newcastle United podcaster Dave Harvey, for example, has called the Lyon star ‘sensational‘ and it will be interesting to see if City end up advancing before the Magpies or other suitors wade in.
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