Groupama Stadium, Lyon, France - September 30, 2021, Olympique Lyonnais' Lucas Paqueta reacts.
West Ham United and GSB now know they need to smash their transfer record with a £50million offer in order to sign Lyon midfielder Lucas Paqueta, renowned French outlet L’Equipe report.
The lowdown: Offer made
Following initial reports from The Athletic confirming the admiration from GSB, the Hammers made a £33.7million offer to sign Paqueta, with the east Londoners believed to be in ‘advanced talks’ regarding the move (Daily Mail).
The 24-year-old Brazil international – who has also attracted attention from Manchester City and Arsenal this summer – currently remains in situ at the Ligue 1 outfit, despite having a ‘desire to leave’ before the window closes.
Now, a fresh claim emerging from France has shed some further light on the situation as Rob Newman and David Moyes attempt to bolster the Irons’ squad…
The latest: £50m
As Sky Sports’ Dharmesh Sheth says talks are taking place over a second bid, L’Equipe report Lyon have named their price at €60million (£50million).
It’s claimed that the club did indeed ‘refuse a proposal’ from the east Londoners earlier in the day and they are ‘expecting’ more for Paqueta, with GSB now knowing just what is required.
The report also states that the cultured attacking midfielder – who was hailed as a ‘magician’ by Lyon’s official Twitter channel – is ‘not opposed to changing’ clubs amidst the vast interest.
The verdict: Pay up
Without a goal or a point from the opening three Premier League fixtures, West Ham are in need of fresh blood within the ranks, particularly within the London Stadium midfield department.
Currently, Moyes has only Declan Rice, Tomas Soucek, Conor Coventry and Flynn Downes at his disposal, a clear lack of a genuine creative force that has led to links to the likes of Conor Gallagher and Hans Vanaken.
Capable of operating as a conventional central midfielder and in advanced wide areas, last season, Paqueta scored 11 times and provided seven assists in 44 appearances across all competitions, showcasing an impressive eye for goal that would be welcomed into Moyes’ options with open arms.
Albeit the freshly mooted asking price would be a record expenditure for GSB, it may just be essential in order to compete for honours both domestically and in Europe once again.
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