Aston Villa likelihood of signing £100m-rated West Ham United star Lucas Paqueta shared
Aston Villa would have to pay up to £100million to sign West Ham star Lucas Paqueta, according to Dan Bardell.
Speaking to GiveMeSport on 3 March, former Eurosport journalist Dean Jones suggested Villa could make a move to sign the Brazilian international in the summer.
But he believes they would face competition from Manchester City to land the 26-year-old after they previously made attempts to take the attacking midfielder to the Etihad Stadium.
Bardell believes the Villans will be able to sign a higher calibre of player if they qualify for the Champions League this season, but he added that the potential stumbling block would be the Hammers’ asking price.
Speaking exclusively to Villa News, Bardell said: “If Villa get to the Champions League, it’s obviously going to open up a new market for the club. They are going to be able to attract players and get players in that they haven’t been able to previously.
“It speaks a lot for the Premier League that Paqueta went to West Ham in the first place. I know they’ve been in Europe and I know they’re a London team but, stereotypically, West Ham wouldn’t be bringing in players of that calibre.
“I think he’s been on Man City’s radar for a long time and then they ended up signing Nunes from Wolves instead.
“It does fit the bill for Villa in terms of being a player that can play in multiple positions, has experience of playing Champions League football I think in France, and he’s a starter for Brazil. It would be the type of signing that would be a decent one for Villa.
“But it will be interesting if we do qualify for the Champions League to see what type of players Villa go for. I think they are going to have to be quite clever in how they sign players.
“West Ham are obviously going to want £100million for him, though, and that might be a stumbling block.”
Could Aston Villa sign West Ham ace Lucas Paqueta?
It could potentially be difficult for Villa to secure a deal to sign Paqueta given how well he’s played for West Ham over the past couple of seasons.
As Bardell points out, the Hammers are going to want a substantial transfer fee to let him go and Man City could go back in for him this summer.
Unai Emery’s side certainly have a better chance of persuading that kind of player to head to Villa Park if they do qualify for the Champions League, though, so it could be a situation to keep an eye on.
In other Aston Villa news, a journalist has mooted a high-profile exit after a £110million+ development has emerged.
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