West Ham are reportedly close to agreeing a five-year deal with Olympique Lyonnais midfielder Lucas Paqueta, with the Irons this week submitting a £42m offer to sign the Brazilian international.
According to L’Equipe, the east London side are in progressive talks with the South American playmaker with Paqueta now set to sign a five-year contract with West Ham after a reported second bid was made by the Hammers to bring the Ligue 1 superstar to the Premier League.
The 24-year-old has been one of the best players in France over the past two seasons, and Premier League interest is high in Paqueta, with the likes of Arsenal, Newcastle United and Tottenham all reportedly interested in signing the midfielder this summer, though West Ham now look to have made a convincing lead in the race to sign the Lyon star.
David Moyes’ side have made some impressive moves this summer in the form of Italian international Gianluca Scamacca and PSG defender Thilo Kehrer, yet Paqueta would be the cream of the crop if West Ham are able to strike a deal with Lyon, a club who have notoriously been difficult to negotiate with in recent years.
The French giants have done well in recent years to keep some of their biggest names on their books, namely Houssem Aouar, and Lyon could take a similar stance with Paqueta, yet West Ham making a huge £42m offer could turn some heads with the Ligue 1 side.
Indeed, Lyon, like many sides in France, are still reeling from the financial effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, and selling a star player like Paqueta for a big transfer fee could do a lot of good for the club and their long-term future, with West Ham seemingly to take this deal all the way to the wire.
Signing Paqueta could take West Ham to a whole new level under Moyes
As mentioned, Paqueta has been one of the best players in France in recent seasons, and if the success of Bruno Guimaraes at Newcastle is anything to go by, West Ham could potentially have a gem on their hands in the Brazilian maestro, with this move having the potential to take the Irons to the next level.
After all, Moyes has done an incredible job with West Ham over the past two years, and signing Paqueta could take the east London side to another realm of quality that the club has not experienced in many a decade, with the Brazilian a perfect midfield partner for the likes of Declan Rice and Pablo Fornals.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
