Manchester City are reportedly eyeing a move for West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta.
The Brazil international made the move to the Olympic Stadium just last summer for a club-record fee of £51m, and, according to Brazilian publication GloboEsporte, Pep Guardiola’s side have tabled a bid of £70m.
The 2023 Premier League winners have lost both captain Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez already this summer and now appear to be targeting a move for the Hammers midfielder to add alongside their captures of Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic.
However, according to the Daily Mail, the Hammers will fight to keep the 25-year-old, who played a key role in last season’s Europa Conference League win. The report adds that City’s toughest task will be in persuading chairman David Sullivan to sell Paqueta, just weeks after losing captain Declan Rice to Arsenal.
Fresh claims from Sky indicate that Paqueta’s “head has been turned” – but his current club will hold firm and seek a fee of around £85m.
Meanwhile, City’s prospects of securing their fifth title in the last six seasons have been boosted by Kyle Walker’s apparent transfer U-turn. The England and Manchester City full-back, 33, had appeared increasingly likely to end his six-year stay at the Etihad this summer and join Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.
However, now, according to reports across the national media, Walker is set to prolong his stay at the Etihad and has even seemingly been offered a new contract by the 2023 Champions League winners.
Speaking in his press conference last week, Guardiola said City would “do everything” to persuade both Walker and Bernardo Silva to stay put at the club.
Elsewhere in the Premier League, Arsenal are set to sign David Raya from Brentford. According to The Athletic, the former Blackburn Rovers and Barcelona shot-stopper will undergo the formalities of completing a move to North London after Arsenal and Brentford agreed on a fee potentially rising to £30m.
Raya had previously been linked with a move to both Tottenham and Bayern Munich earlier this summer. However, neither side were able to agree on a deal with the West London outfit. Mikel Arteta’s move for the Spaniard comes with secondary goalkeeper Matt Turner closing on a move to Nottingham Forest.
Meanwhile, Manchester United look set to sell Harry Maguire to West Ham for a fee of around £30m. The Hammers are splashing their Rice cash with several deals in the pipeline, as reports today also suggest a £30m move for Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse is close to completion.
It remains to be seen what impact Southampton’s sales have on Liverpool’s interest in midfielder Romeo Lavia. The Saints are believed to be holding out for their £50m asking price after three failed bids from Anfield. They have already sold full-back Tino Livramento to Newcastle for an initial £32m, and look sent to bank an additional £30m for Ward-Prowse.
Liverpool are plotting their next move, with negotiations ongoing over Lavia. There has also been interest in Fluminense star Andre Trinidade.