West Ham willing to sell Lucas Paqueta to Flamengo on ONE condition as talks continue over wantaway star’s £40m move

West Ham are willing to sell Lucas Paqueta to Flamengo this month if the deal includes an agreement for the Brazilian club to loan the midfielder back for the rest of the season.

Talks are continuing over the next 24 hours with West Ham looking for around £40m.

The 28-year-old wants to return to Brazil and refused to play in the Hammers‘ FA Cup win over QPR on Sunday. West Ham rejected a proposal worth up to £30million from Flamengo earlier this week.

They do not want to lose him for the rest of the season, seeing him as key to their hopes of Premier League survival. Nuno Espirito Santo‘s side are currently seven points adrift of 17th-placed Nottingham Forest.

Paqueta was cleared of alleged breaches of the Football Association’s betting regulations last year.

Nuno admitted that West Ham must act quickly to ‘solve’ the situation as the club looks increasingly threatened by relegation on Thursday. 

‘I think it’s a situation that we have to solve, all of us at the club have to solve,’ said the Portuguese coach.

‘We always want our best players to be involved and Lucas is one of our best players, so let’s try to solve the situation.

‘It’s a solution that we have to find. Us as a club, the player, myself.

‘My job is to prepare the team and to prepare the team with the best players that we have. Lucas is one of the best players. My job is to try and take the best out of all of them.’

Meanwhile, Newcastle United defender Jamaal Lascelles has emerged as a potential target for the Hammers.

The 32-year-old club captain is expected to leave this window although Newcastle are looking to cover their own defensive crisis first ideally.

Also on their radar is Coventry’s highly rated centre back Bobby Thomas.

The 6ft 4ins former Burnley trainee, 24, has been a stand-out performer this season under Frank Lampard and has been attracting scouts from other Premier League sides including Everton, where he started out as a schoolboy.

West Ham have also discussed Sporting Braga’s Bright Arrey-Mbi, who used to be on Chelsea‘s books, among others.

Toulouse defender Charlie Cresswell, long admired by the Hammers, is wanted by Wolfsburg.

West Ham have also expressed interest in signing Chelsea keeper Filip Jorgensen, who has expressed a desire to move this window.