Newcastle United have been linked with a potential transfer move for West Ham United star Lucas Paqueta, according to recent report from Spanish sports media outlet Fichajes.
Newcastle are thought to be ‘long-term admirers’ of Paqueta and are willing to pay a sum of around £52 million to secure the midfielder’s services.
It is unclear as to how much West Ham would require to allow Paqueta to leave the club – their former captain, Declan Rice, joined Arsenal for a £105 million sum earlier in the year.
With the summer transfer window now having closed, the Mags will need to wait until January if they wish to complete a transfer for the Brazilian dynamo.
Who else, besides Newcastle, have been linked with a move for Lucas Paqueta?
Newcastle are not the only Premier League club who are thought to have a strong interest in Lucas Paqueta. Besides the Toon, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have also been linked with a transfer for the player.
The Citizens were thought to have submitted a bid for the player during the summer transfer window (the details of the bid are unknown). However, a deal failed to materialise.
How would Lucas Paqueta fit into the squad?
Newcastle have several high-quality midfielders, such as Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton, but it would be an intelligent move for them to add quality to their squad in the middle of the park.
The Magpies will be taking part in the Champions League this season. Due to this, they will have an expanded playing schedule, which will be difficult to get through if there is not a sufficient amount of quality in depth.
Adding Paqueta to the team will certainly give them a boost. He is a very creative player – he can use his wide range of passing to open up teams, as well as his superlative ball control and flashy dribbling ability.
He is somewhat lacking in the defensive department – thankfully, the Toon have plenty of midfielders who are very responsible in this aspect of the game. Therefore, they will be able to pick up any slack that he may leave behind.