West Ham United’s Brazilian No. 10 is keen to return to his home country and missed Sunday’s FA Cup win over QPR, but the Hammers announced he was suffering from a back problem.
West Ham United’s Lucas Paqueta (Image: )
Manager Nuno Espirito Santo says West Ham need to “resolve” Lucas Paqueta’s “situation”. The Brazil star missed Sunday’s FA Cup match against QPR amid interest from former club Flamengo.
There are rumors that the Brazil international is keen to return to his home country amid the Hammers’ struggles in the Premier League, with a £30m offer reportedly already being turned down.
Hammers boss Nuno said Paqueta was “still receiving treatment” for a lower back problem and was not certain to feature in Saturday’s London derby against Tottenham. He said, “Let’s see. We still have a few days.”
Asked if he wanted to keep his £51m contract, Nuno said: “I think this is a situation that we have to resolve and it has to be resolved by the whole club. We always want the best players to come in and Lucas is one of the best.”
“Now let’s resolve the situation that needs to be resolved.”
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Paqueta has become disillusioned with life in England after facing allegations of spot match-fixing, which necessitated a big-money move to Manchester City in 2023. He was cleared of all charges last year.
Last summer, with Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehy entering the final year of his contract, Alexander Isak effectively went on strike at Newcastle in a bid to force a move to Liverpool. Asked which scenario was closer to Paqueta, Nuno added: “That’s what I said first. I think this is the solution we have to find. As a club, as a player and as myself.”
“My job is to prepare the team and prepare the team with the best players we have. Lucas is one of the best players. My job is to get the best out of all of them.”
Paqueta’s contract expires in the summer of 2027. Brazil’s transfer window remains until March, but he could be sold in January this year.
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