The hamstring injury suffered by Kevin De Bruyne may accelerate Manchester City’s move for West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta. With City’s inspirational midfielder facing another spell on the sidelines, the need for another creative midfielder may see the treble winners accelerate their move for Paqueta.
Reports emerged this past week of the European champion’s interest in the Brazilian. Fabrizio Romano reported that along with Jeremy Doku, Paqueta has become a priority target for Manchester City.
Now that De Bruyne is again injured, it does feel that City may need to move quickly to reinforce their squad, especially in midfield.
Jacob Steinberg of the Guardian reports that West Ham are facing the reality of Paqueta likely leaving the club. He adds to his report that the Hammers feel that keeping the Brazilian at the club despite his wish to move to the Etihad may be counterproductive Steinberg adds.
West Ham losing hope of keeping Lucas Paquetá but are trying to get Cole Palmer from Man City. Talks over Harry Maguire’s exit from Manchester United ongoing https://t.co/GUNd0yGWEU
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) August 11, 2023
Talksport reports that Paqueta has agreed personal terms with the Premier League champions. They add that West Ham are likely to demand a fee over £95 million to sell their star man.
With the inflated fees on show currently in the transfer market, Manchester City may have to pay more than they’ve bargained for to secure the deal. The Lucas Paqueta deal now feels more important with the De Bruyne injury. Pep Guardiola will need another quality creative midfielder to fill the void left by De Bruyne’s absence.
