Lucas Paqueta: West Ham’s €20m mistake in Flamengo deal

West Ham have agreed to sell Lucas Paqueta to Flamengo in a shock January deal – but the Premier League side have left €20 million on the table in what is a record-breaking move for Brazilian football.

Paqueta has been pushing to leave the Hammers this month, but West Ham were resisting due to their battle against relegation.

Romano has reported that a breakthrough has been made and that the former AC Milan and Lyon player will head back to his boyhood club.

Romano tweeted: “Lucas Paqueta to Flamengo, here we go! Record deal agreed for €42m fee.

“West Ham accept the proposal after direct contact with director José Boto today, Paqueta travels later today.

“Five-year contract.”

Paqueta in line for Sunday debut

West Ham initially accepted a deal worth €41.25m, but owing to an issue regarding the schedule of payments, Flamengo were forced to up their offer slightly, according to Globo.

Paqueta will return to Brazil on Thursday or Friday and could even feature for his new side on Sunday when they meet Corinthians in the Brazilian Super Cup final.

Such a quick return to action will frustrate West Ham, where he had been missing in recent matches, officially because of a back injury. Flamengo believes that it will not stop him from playing in this clash, with registration issues the only thing that could see him miss out.

West Ham fail to maximise Paqueta fee

Paqueta’s desire to move back to Brazil also weakened West Ham’s negotiating position and caused them to miss out on the type of windfall a player of his calibre should demand.

Although there were only 18 months left on his contract, the 28-year-old has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €62.4m, according to FootballTransfers’ algorithm.

As such, West Ham have allowed Paqueta to leave for some €20m under his true valuation, giving Flamengo a discount of around 30% in the process.

Brazilian history made

Paqueta’s move from West Ham to Corinthians will be the biggest signing in Brazilian football history.

The deal smashes the €27 million fee that Cruzeiro paid Zenit St Petersburg for Gerson little over a fortnight ago and also surpasses last February’s deal that saw Vitor Roque return to Palmeiras from Barcelona for €25.5m.

The only other deal struck for a figure above €20m was Thiago Almada’s 2024 move to Botafogo from Atlanta United.

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