Lucas Paqueta, a Brazilian midfielder for West Ham, is allegedly a target for Newcastle United in January.
During the summer, the 26-year-old midfielder was linked to Manchester City, but the transfer fell through after the Football Association launched an inquiry into alleged betting violations.
The investigation was first made public by Mail Sport back in August and included wagers on in-game events like bookings rather than the results of West Ham’s games. Paqueta disputes that he ever placed any wagers.
Fichajes claims that longtime supporters of Newcastle United, who might prepare a bid in the upcoming window, haven’t been discouraged by this.
As his squad is ready to play in the Champions League for the first time in twenty years, Eddie Howe is eager to bring in more talent.
They were dealt a difficult draw with matches against Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan, and Borussia Dortmund, but adding Paqueta would help them regardless of how they perform in the group stage.
Lucas Paqueta joined West Ham in August 2022 following a £51 million transfer from Lyon, where he scored five goals and provided seven assists in his first season.
In the UEFA Europa Conference League final in Prague versus Fiorentina, he assisted Jarrod Bowen in setting up West Ham’s game-winning goal.
Newcastle’s prospect of Champions League football and an automatic top-four challenge, despite the fact that West Ham has qualified for the Europa League this season, may appeal to the Brazilian.
However, they are likely to seek a greater transfer fee because City’s summer asking price is thought to be over £85 million.
In the middle of the pitch, Howe already has players like Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali at his service; the Italian just recently transferred from AC Milan for £52 million.
Paqueta has not yet been formally examined by the FA regarding the betting claims, therefore the inquiry into the player is still in its early stages.
