Man City have the chance to reignite forgotten £80m transfer plan
Had Manchester City known then what we know now, Lucas Paqueta might already be a Blue. Pep Guardiola wanted to sign the West Ham midfielder two years ago, only for the player to be charged by the Football Association with betting offences.That included claims of spot-fixing by deliberately picking up yellow cards, but Paqueta is now expected to be cleared by an independent regulatory commission, with confirmation due next week.Hammers boss Graham Potter said he didn't know the outcome of the process when speaking in America overnight, but he did say Paqueta had been through "a long ordeal".A guilty verdict could have resulted in a life ban from the game, but the 27-year-old will now be free to continue his playing career, although where that happens will be a subject of interest for the rest of the summer.City were lining up an £80million deal in 2023 before the investigation into claims Paqueta had deliberately picked up yellow cards in West Ham’s games against Leicester City, Leeds United, Aston Villa and Bournemouth became public.Guardiola remains a fan of the player, although City have since revamped their midfield, with Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki the latest new additions this summer. That was business done in the centre of the pitch for the club, with a deal for Morgan Gibbs-White ruled out last week.Whether Paqueta's availability changes that will be of interest. Now he has been cleared, West Ham might look to cash in as they try and raise funds for their own rebuild, having already sold Mohammed Kudus to Tottenham.City turned to Matheus Nunes after passing on Paqueta in 2023 but former City player Barry Silkman worked on the deal and told the MEN earlier this year that it was all but done when the news of the investigation broke."The deal was done, but then this thing with the FA came up," he said on the Talking City podcast in February. "When that fell through, I was absolutely gutted. I brought him into West Ham and I love him as a player."He had Man City written all over him. They must have had a scouting network in France but why they never bought him I don't know because it's not like he came into West Ham and all of a sudden improved. From the minute his feet touched the ground he was the same as he was in France."He was phenomenal and I kept thinking a major club had to come in for him. Then eventually when they did it happened at the wrong time and it's affected Lucas ever since. He's started playing the last few games like he did before and hopefully the situation he's got will disappear and I still think he would be a major addition for Manchester City now."West Ham won't get £80million for him now. Paqueta has two years left on his contract, with the option for a further year, but in this market, there is a significant drop-off for a player aged 27 compared to 25.That might tempt City back in for a player they clearly like, but the deal would clearly have to be a good one. They don't need a player of Paqueta's skill set now, and it might just be that the ship has sailed for this particular transfer.---Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester City coverage and analysis.Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.
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