Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing attacking midfielder Lucas Paqueta from Lyon, according to football.london.
The lowdown: Top talent
Formerly of Flamengo's youth system, the 24-year-old made the move to Europe in 2019 for €35m (£30m) when AC Milan snapped up the talented Brazilian (ESPN).
Having directly contributed to just four goals in 44 appearances in Italy, he was sold to Lyon in 2020, where he has recaptured his best form with 34 goal involvements in 78 outings.
Following strong interest from Newcastle United in recent months, it now appears as though Tottenham are also pursuing the Brazil international...
The latest: Spurs interest in Paqueta
As per football.london, Tottenham are said to have been 'tracking' Paqueta for some time.
Along with the Brazilian, who was hailed as a 'special footballer' by journalist Jacob Schneider during a Europa League clash with Sparta Prague, the report takes an in-depth look at the targets for Fabio Paratici and Antonio Conte this summer as the Italian duo attempt to strengthen the squad at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
It's also claimed that the north Londoners have shown an interest in Leicester City star James Maddison, soon-to-be free agent Jesse Lingard and newly-promoted Nottingham Forest ace Brennan Johnson as candidates to bolster the attacking midfield department.
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The verdict: Make it happen
With the wantaway Steven Bergwijn looking increasingly likely to move on this summer and Bryan Gil's future still undecided, adding another attack-minded midfield option to Conte's ranks would be a worthwhile venture.
Last season, Paqueta scored 11 times and provided seven assists in 44 appearances across all competitions, earning a superb 7.13 Sofascore rating whilst winning 7.3 duels, making 1.2 key passes and taking 2.5 shots per Ligue 1 match in the process.
Holding a strong stylistic likeness to illustrious names such as Hakim Ziyech, Marco Reus and Thomas Müller (FBRef), the 33-cap Brazilian would offer supreme versatility, with an ability to play on either flank, as a number 10, centre-forward and as a more conventional central midfielder.
Valued at £31.5m and under contract in France until 2025 (Transfermarkt), this would be an expensive deal for ENIC, but one which would make a lot of sense.
In other news: ‘Very recently’ – Tottenham hold talks over signing ‘one of the top strikers in England’! Find out more here.