Lucas Paqueta: Two problems in West Ham deal

West Ham have made it clear that they are determined to keep hold of Lucas Paqueta in the face of pressure from both the player and Flamengo.

Paqueta has told West Ham that he wants to move back to Brazil, having held an internal meeting with the club previously.

With the Irons in the midst of a relegation battle, the news that a key player wants out was the last thing that manager Nuno Espirito Santo wanted to hear.

West Ham have put an asking price of €58 million put on his head, which is significantly above the €40m figure that Flamengo were initially willing to offer.

The Brazilians, though, are still pushing for this move to be completed.

Paqueta to Flamengo: The state of play

South American football expert Tim Vickery has explained that there are two major issues facing Flamengo as they attempt to step up their chase of the Brazil international star.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he explained: “Flamengo have tried to speed things up this week. With the club president back from holiday, an official bid is going in.

“Last night, the director of football, Jose Boto, spoke about this. He expects a deal to be done but he says it’s going to need a lot of patience.

“There are two problems. One is the terms of payments which are complex because it’s a big money deal. Flamengo have the money, but how do you arrange the terms?

“Also, he let slip in this interview, that West Ham aren’t actually convinced that they want to sell.”

Readymade Paqueta replacement available

Replacing Paqueta does indeed appear to be a huge headache for West Ham, who are five points from safety at the foot of the Premier League table.

FootballTransfers, though, has revealed that there’s a player on the transfer market that Nuno’s side should look at to provide a quality replacement at a lower price.