Lucas Paqueta to want Aston Villa move despite bank-breaking £60m development
Lucas Paqueta could be prepared to green-light a move to Aston Villa in the final few days of the transfer window.
The Villans have endured a difficult start to the new Premier League campaign, and are yet to find the back of the net in competitive action so far this season.
Greater creativity is needed ahead of Monday’s transfer deadline, and Villa have identified Paqueta as a player who could provide them with that.
Monchi and Co. have found it difficult to add to the squad this summer due to the ongoing financial concerns, but they now have their eyes fixed firmly on the West Ham star.
This article includes exclusive comment from former Aston Villa scout Bryan King.
Lucas Paqueta open to Aston Villa move amid £60m West Ham demand
Villa will have to splash the cash for Paqueta if they want to do a deal, with West Ham currently demanding a fee of £60million in order to entertain a sale.
That would see the second city outfit break their previous transfer record to secure the Brazilian’s signature, in a move which would provide a stark contrast from the rest of their summer.
| Player | Fee |
| Amadou Onana | £51m |
| Moussa Diaby | £47.6m |
| Ian Maatsen | £38m |
| Emi Buendia | £33m |
| Ollie Watkins | £29.4m |
Should a key sale be completed in the next few days, then Unai Emery could turn towards the attacking midfielder as a last-minute option.
Ex-Villa scout Bryan King – speaking exclusively to Villa News – believes that the possibility of a move to B6 is something that would appeal to Paqueta.
“I don’t think he (Paqueta) will be happy as a footballer at West Ham at the moment,” King said.
“I think he loves the supporters, but things are not right there at all.
“If the right offer comes in, then I’m sure he’d be open to it (a move to Villa). But £60m is a lot of money.
“I can’t see how Villa would be able to come up with £60m, it would really put them under pressure financially.”
Lucas Paqueta is not worth a £60m investment
Paqueta is certainly an interesting option for Villa, but there should be significant question marks regarding the fee that they would have to pay to bring him in.
- Paqueta has just five Premier League goal contributions since the start of last season
- He has struggled to replicate his early form at West Ham
- West Ham paid £51m to sign him and are looking to make a profit on their investment
The 28-year-old has dazzled at times for the Hammers since his move to East London three years ago, but he is surely too inconsistent to be worthy of such a substantial transfer fee, especially in the context of Villa’s summer.
He is a player who is capable of producing moments of magic on his day, but for a sum of that magnitude, you would want a player who is capable of significantly progressing your team.
Emery already has plenty of strong options in attack, and while Paqueta would add to that, he wouldn’t provide a big enough upgrade to warrant an outlay of that amount.
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