Manchester City's move for West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta has been put on hold, according to reports.
Last week, it was reported that the Premier League champions had made a whopping £70 million bid for Paqueta.
The Hammers rejected the offer and quoted City a fee in excess of £80 million for the Brazil international, claim talkSPORT.
Last Wednesday, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reported that Pep Guardiola would "try again" to sign Paqueta. But in a major turn of events, a deal could now be off for the 25-year-old.
That's according to Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol, who tweeted: "Man City move for West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta is on hold.
"Situation could change but '90% chance' deal won’t happen at the moment." The Sun's Alan Nixon echoed reports, claiming a deal was "off" for the midfielder.Paqueta has a £85m buyout clause attached to his contract but it cannot be triggered until next summer. Meanwhile, David Moyes is reluctant to sell the player as they feel they would not have enough time to sign a replacement.
Last summer, Paqueta joined West Ham from French Ligue 1 side Lyon in a club record £51 million deal.Since then, he has played a big part in David Moyes’ team, having scored five goals and assisted a further seven in 43 matches across all competitions.
Paqueta was also a regular starter for Brazil during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
South American football expert Tim Vickery reckons a move to Manchester City would be "career-making", though.
He told the Transfer Talk podcast (quotes via Sky Sports): "I can certainly see Lucas Paqueta leaving. With West Ham bringing in James Ward-Prowse and maybe looking to bring in Mohammed Kudus from Ajax, they would appear to be preparing the terrain.
"From the point of view of Paqueta, this could be the career-making move. He's 26 later this month, he's got over 40 caps for Brazil, and you don't get 40 caps for Brazil as an attacking midfielder unless you can play a little bit. He isn't blessed with pace so he is more a combination player.
"Going to Manchester City gives him far better players with whom to combine, and in a team with far more possession of the ball. This could really be the move that makes his career."
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