Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes would love to see Lucas Paqueta join – but the window of opportunity on the West Ham United star may have closed.
Bruno Guimaraes haș been speaking to That’s Football and Newcastle United fans may be interested by his comments on Lucas Paqueta.
Bruno was alongside teammate and fellow Brazilian Joelinton and fielded a host of questions, including one on who he would most like to see join the Magpies.
Whilst Joelinton went big with Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior, Bruno went a little closer to home by picking West Ham United star Lucas Paqueta.
“I played with him at Lyon, I would say Lucas Paqueta,” said Bruno. “He is one of my best friends. I like him, so I would say him,” he added.
The pair are close friends from their time in France and speculation around Paqueta to Newcastle was rife in 2022 – and the window may now be closed.
Newcastle United may have missed window on Lucas Paqueta
Paqueta was one of the prominent names mentioned for a move to Newcastle after their 2021 takeover, especially after Bruno left Lyon for Tyneside.
Claims from the North East suggested that Paqueta was already thinking about Newcastle ahead of the 2022 summer transfer window.
Guimaraes publicly admitted that he would like to see Paqueta join Newcastle, but it just didn’t materialised as West Ham United pounced.
The Hammers struck a deal worth around £51million and Paqueta has since become a Premier League star at the London Stadium.
Paqueta impressed so much that Manchester City were moving in with an £80million move to sign Paqueta before an FA investigation into betting patterns hailed the move.
The Brazilian has been sensational this season and you can imagine that West Ham’s price tag will now be heading up to around £100million in 2024.
HITC Football understands that Newcastle do still like Paqueta, but a deal will surely be beyond the Magpies now.
Newcastle are up against Financial Fair Play restrictions and a big signing like Paqueta would surely only arrive if a big sale – ironically, just as Bruno – is made.
The Magpies had a chance to sign Paqueta for a fraction of the price in 2022 but the window of opportunity may now have passed Newcastle by.
Bruno will keep dreaming of reuniting with Paqueta at Newcastle, but the chances of it becoming a reality seem slim now.
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