West Ham eye £45m Nottingham Forest star as Paqueta replacement; Tottenham tipped to rival Hammers

West Ham United will reportedly consider a move for Nottingham Forest attacker Brennan Johnson if Lucas Paqueta leaves the club this summer. 

The Brazilian attacking midfielder has already agreed personal terms with Man City, who have seen a £70m bid rejected by the Hammers.

Johnson had an excellent first season in the Premier League with Nottingham Forest last season. Steve Cooper is understandably desperate to keep him, so West Ham will have to pay big money to sign him.

As previously reported by TEAMtalk, Man City are currently preparing an improved offer for Paqueta. West Ham value the 25-year-old at approximately £95m but the Cityzens haven’t come close to matching his price tag yet.

Paqueta signed for West Ham last summer for a fee of £51.5m. He has since made 41 appearances across all competitions, scoring five goals and making seven assists.

He is an important player for David Moyes, so bringing in the right replacement if he does leave is vital.

Several options are being considered, including Ajax attacker Mohammed Kudus, but it now seems West Ham could turn their attention to Johnson instead.

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West Ham consider move for Brennan Johnson

According to the Telegraph, Moyes has Johnson ‘firmly in his sights’ as he searches for a potential replacement for Paqueta.

The Wales international was subject of a failed £35m bid by Brentford earlier in the summer. It is believed that an offer of £45m would be required to convince Nottingham Forest to sell.

Johnson made 44 appearances in all competitions for the Tricky Trees last season. In the process, he scored 10 goals and made three assists.

The 22-year-old is versatile, too, with the ability to play as a winger or attacking midfielder. He could therefore provide cover in several positions for Moyes next season.

The Telegraph add, however, that Tottenham also hold an interest in signing Johnson this summer, so West Ham will have to move quickly to get a deal done.

Spurs have plenty of funds to play with after selling Harry Kane to Bayern Munich for £86.4m. Their priority is to sign a new striker, but Johnson is still one of Ange Postecoglou’s targets.

With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if West Ham can beat Tottenham to the punch by submitting an official offer for Johnson soon. If, of course, they do agree to sell Paqueta to Man City.

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