West Ham Midfielder Lucas Paqueta Agrees To Man Cty Replace Kevin De Bruyne

JAKARTA - Manchester City will recruit West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta. The Brazilian national team player is projected to replace Kevin De Bruyne.

Paqueta became one of the prominent center players in the English Premier League. Previously, Paqueta had to work hard to prove its best abilities so that European elite clubs could look at it.

Yes, Paqueta started his career in Europe when he joined AC Milan. This elite Italian Serie A club brought Paqueta from Flamengo. Milan beat Paris Saint-Germain who were actually also targeting attacking midfielders who could also play on this wing.

Only, Paqueta, who was 22 at the time, failed to shine. Despite being awarded a five-year contract, he made little contribution to the Rossoneri who then let him go to Lyon.

In Ligue 1 France, he actually shines. Paqueta's charming performance made him the best foreign player in Ligue 1 in 2022.

It was this success that led him to the Premier League. West Ham signed him at a club record-breaking price. It was not stated how much it was worth, but the BBC said it reached 50 million.

Paqueta immediately became the pillar of the Hammers' power. Moreover, he played a role in leading West Ham to win the Europa Conference League or Europe's third tier competition after the Champions League and Europa League.

The brilliant performance at West Ham made Man City interested in recruiting him. Most recently, Man City has reached a personal agreement with Paqueta.

Man City has actually been targeting Paqueta for a long time. In fact, he has been a target to replace De Bruyne, who had to be absent for a long time due to surgery due to a hamstring injury.

Only the loan plan failed because Paqueta had to undergo an examination by FIFA and FA.

He was investigated for alleged gambling activities. On this charge, Paqueta stated'self is trying to help as much as possible'. He also thanked the club for the support.

In the middle of the investigation, Paqueta actually showed impressive performance. He scored eight goals and seven assists during 36 appearances in various competitions.

In the aftermath, Man City intends to recruit him. After reaching an agreement with Paqueta, Man City will negotiate with West Ham.

Paqueta's own price is estimated at 70 million. However, that price could go up or down depending on the player's performance in domestic and European competitions.

West Ham has not released their players. Moreover, the club still has the opportunity to increase the price of Paqueta.

If he finally releases him, manager David Moyes will hunt players in the player transfer window.

The players West Ham are targeting include Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith Rowe. According to the plan, Arsenal will also release the 23-year-old player.

In addition, there is midfielder Nottingham Forest Morgan Gibbs-White. Borussia Dortmund also offered senior player Marco Reus to Premier League clubs, including West Ham.