Lucas Paqueta transfer latest: Deal done as payment structure is broken down and Declan Rice hints at more signings to come
West Ham have reportedly tied up the loose ends of the Lucas Paqueta transfer with the deal poised to be announced in the coming days – with the Hammers agreeing to shatter their transfer record for the Brazilian.
The Hammers have honed in on the Lyon playmaker after striking a deal with the Ligue 1 side last week. They will pay Lyon an initial £36.7m (€43m) with a further £14.5m (€17m) in add-ons. That takes the deal to a club-record £51.2m, with Paqueta traveling to London over the weekend for his medical.
Multiple reports now claim the 25-year-old has now passed that medical and has met with his new teammates on Monday morning. The 33-times capped Brazil midfielder will reportedly sign a deal to keep him at the London Stadium until 2026.
His signing will take West Ham’s business through the £175m barrier with Gianlucca Scamacca, Nayef Aguerd and Maxwell Cornet also signing for hefty sums.
Discussing his potential arrival, Hammers boss David Moyes would not go into exact details following their win at Aston Villa.
However, he did express his gratitute to the West Ham board for their backing in the transfer market.
“We brought in more than I wanted.
“We needed to try and move on, break up what we had, we’re trying to build another good team. I’m not sure we will do more.”
Paqueta scored 11 times and weighed in with seven assists in 44 appearances last season. This time around, he has played twice for Lyon without any goal involvements.
The player’s arrival is really an X-factor signing for West Ham and one of the most eye-catching pieces of business of the summer.
Declan Rice hints at more to come after Lucas Paqueta
Incredibly, the Hammers might not be done yet either with club captain Declan Rice suggesting another new arrival may be on the cards.
Club Brugges midfielder Hans Vanaken also reportedly remains on West Ham’s shopping list, amid long-standing links. He has been linked with the Hammers for several months and the player is reportedly pushing for the move.
To that end, Voetbal Belgie claims Brugges have slashed the 30-year-old’s asking price to just £12.7m (€15m).
That may well be enough to tempt the Hammers to do one final piece of business.
West Ham are also reportedly keeping a close watch on developments at Chelsea, with Conor Gallagher and Armando Broja both linked with possible loan moves across London.
The Hammers’ summer business has clearly got Rice excited – and he told the club’s official website that he still expects “one or two more signings”.
“I feel like that’s what we needed,” Rice said.
“You know we’ve got a lot of games coming up this year and we want to keep pushing as a squad and as a club.
“The players we’ve brought in have been unbelievable and hopefully there’s one or two more to come so we just need to keep integrating and I feel like there’s exciting times ahead for everyone.”
