According to le10sport, Newcastle have made a €40m (£34m) bid for Lyon playmaker Lucas Paqueta, as Eddie Howe looks for a creative attacker.
What’s the story?
Well, Newcastle lack someone who can carve the opposition’s backline open, and it seems Howe has identified Paqueta as a solution.
The French news outlet believe Newcastle have submitted a significant bid for the 28-cap Brazil international, as well as a huge salary package.
Interestingly, le10sport claim that the Magpies have offered Paqueta €10m-a-year, which equates to £8.5m-a-year and £163,461-a-week.
However, the 24-year-old is unconvinced by a move to St James’ Park, and Lyon have rejected the bid.
According to le10sport, Paqueta would’ve seen his wages more than double had he accepted Newcastle’s offer.
Hope for Newcastle in Lucas Paqueta chase
There’s an intriguing detail in le10sport‘s article which suggests there may be a glimmer of hope for Newcastle in their pursuit of the South American.
Thanks to the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia’s riches, Newcastle are ‘clearly in a position’ to increase their bid, according to le10sport.
Therefore, it will be interesting to see what happens if the Magpies go back to Lyon with an improved bid.
If Newcastle do sign Paqueta, they’d be getting a gem of a player.
Tite – manager of the Brazil national team – once said the Rio de Janeiro-born playmaker sees football like Neymar and Philippe Coutinho do.
Goal quote him as saying: “Lucas thinks about football in the same way as Neymar and Coutinho.”
If Howe can get his hands on Paqueta, we’re quietly confident he would light up the Premier League in black and white.
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