According to Lance, discussions over a release clause for Lucas Paqueta are delaying his £48m move to West Ham.
What’s the story?
Well, everything else seems to be agreed between Lyon, West Ham and the Brazil international.
The Athletic believe Paqueta has agreed personal terms with the east Londoners, and Lyon have accepted an offer worth €57m (£48m) after West Ham initially saw a bid worth £33.75m rejected by the Ligue 1 side.
However, late discussions over a release clause will not fill West Ham fans with confidence.
David Ornstein adds that the deal now hinges on club-to-club documents being submitted, which we assume involves talks regarding sell-on clauses and other contractual formalities, including the release clause.
Newcastle were also interested in signing Paqueta – the Magpies will surely be sparked into action if they see that the deal has broken down.
The South American’s imminent move to the Premier League comes after he scored 11 goals in 44 appearances last season, while also providing seven assists.
Paqueta was named Best Foreign Player in France for his efforts – beating Lionel Messi and Neymar to the prize.
Lucas Paqueta release clause is not ideal for West Ham
In our view, David Moyes would prefer to sign Paqueta without involving a release clause.
It means West Ham could lose their marquee signing at any moment from 2023 onwards if the clause is triggered, which isn’t ideal for the Hammers as they plan to break into the Premier League’s top six again.
It also suggests that Paqueta doesn’t see himself staying at the London Stadium for too long, and wants assurances that he will be allowed to escape at some point without West Ham slapping a ludicrous price tag on him.
That is exactly what happened to Wilfried Zaha when he handed in a transfer request at Crystal Palace in 2019, but didn’t have a release clause in his contract – the south Londoners demanded £100m, and the Ivorian is still there to this day.
Hopefully, West Ham can iron out the remaining creases in negotiations and get a deal for Paqueta finalised.
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