Lucas Paqueta being targeted by Man City and Spurs
According to L’Équipe, Lucas Paquetá of Lyon is a serious transfer target for Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, with Manchester City being farther along in negotiations.
Tottenham’s bid of €40 million for the midfielder in January was turned down by Lyon, who had previously sold Bruno Guimares to Newcastle for €50 million. According to reports, the player is not presently considering signing with Newcastle or Arsenal.
Despite having official contact with three Premier League teams, Lyon has not yet received a firm offer for the Brazilian midfielder this summer.
The player made a request to depart Lyon earlier this summer after declining to start contract renewal talks. After first acquiring him from Milan in 2020 for a discounted transfer fee and salaries, Lyon hoped to raise his pay to make him one of the highest earners in the club. Lucas Paquetá is currently anticipated to leave the squad after a dismal season resulted in the team being eliminated from European competition.
Technical director Edu, who had openly proclaimed his adoration for his countryman, had connected Arsenal with the player, although the player was not quite excited about joining the Gunners.
The most likely destinations for Paquetá, whose contract at Lyon goes through 2025, are Manchester City and Tottenham. The Brazilian international has scored a total of 17 goals in 64 Ligue 1 games and is apparently in the most advanced stages of negotiations to join the Citizens.
Any further negotiations for Lucas Paqueta, however, hinge on City’s ability to offload Bernardo Silva, who wants to go and whose agent Jorge Mendes is searching for a new team, particularly in Spain with Real Madrid and Barcelona as possibilities. Before Paquetá could join Spurs, a midfielder would also need to be sold, most likely Tanguy Ndombele or Giovani Lo Celso.
