[EXCLUSIVE] Man City could move for West Ham winger Lucas Paqueta should Bernardo Silva leave this summer

by TheTelegraph

15 comments

  1. ***The Telegraph reports:***

    Manchester City are interested in West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta as a potential summer signing should clubs move for Bernardo Silva at the end of the season.

    ‌Paqueta, 26, has been on City’s radar following his two campaigns in the Premier League but any chance of the Brazilian leaving the London Stadium last year was ended by a Football Association investigation for potential betting-rule breaches, which is yet to be resolved.

    ‌But he has remained a player that City admire and he is seen as a player who could play in Pep Guardiola’s midfield if interest in Bernardo ramps up.

    ‌Bernardo, 29, has two full seasons on his contract after extending his terms at the start of the campaign but he has been on the shortlist of clubs including Paris Saint-Germain, who will lost Kylian Mbappe in four months, and Saudi Pro League teams looking to recruit Europe’s biggest names.

    ‌Barcelona have previously held an interest in the Portugal international, who has made no secret of wanting to return to Benfica at some stage of his career. While remaining at City this season has been important following the departures of wingers Riyad Mahrez and Cole Palmer, City have also not stood in the way of players if they wish to leave.

    ‌Paqueta was valued at £80 million in the summer when there was interest in the former AC Milan and Lyon player, who moved to Europe five years ago from Flamengo in his homeland. After West Ham paid more than £50 million for him, they would stand to make a significant profit on the player who has three years plus an option left on his terms.

    ‌Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte moved to Saudi Pro League in the summer and the ambitious competition is interested in the biggest names including Bernardo and Kevin De Bruyne, who has one full season left on his current contract.

    **Full story here:** [**https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/02/23/manchester-city-transfer-west-ham-paqueta-bernardo-silva/**](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/02/23/manchester-city-transfer-west-ham-paqueta-bernardo-silva/)

  4. Oh man not Bernardo anyone but bernardo, he is one of our best. Can’t even imagine a city team without him tbh he’s one of our most reliable players in big games.

  7. Ignoring the fact thats a massive downgrade, Thats not even close to a like-for-like replacement. Paqueta will not be Bernardo’s replacement should he leave.

  8. anyone here thinks he will leave? Would be 50million and 300k a week wages.

  9. I don’t think anyone in the world can actually replace Bernardo. He’s incredible in so many ways. So let’s put that aside for a moment and consider Paqueta.

    He’s a goddamn baller. No, really- check out some of his West Ham games. He’s absolutely legit and I think he’d be a regular starter in our team. I remember being skeptical of why he was starting for Brazil. But the more I’ve seen him play the more convinced I am. At a top team, I see him being potentially world class. He has so many elements to his game: insane ball control, great vision and ridiculous passing ability, he can score goals, decent physicality, fights hard for balls, he can defend…

    I genuinely think that, whichever top club he ends up at, he will start being in discussions of best in the league.

  10. We should move for Paqueta regardless of outgoing transfers.

  11. This would be a very good singing. No disrespect to Matheus, but this is the signing I wanted us to make at that time, although it’ll be good to have them both since they have different profiles as midfielders. Paqueta is so good in the pockets and has absolutely bossed games for WHU – you can see the impact on the team when he’s not in it, as they’ve done quite poorly lately.

  12. Brazillian here, who has followed Paqueta closely for years: he’s not on Bernardo’s level yet but he’s a damn fine player and is on absolute fire since joining West Ham, playing the best football of his career. I believe he could grow into a Bernardo type player with Pep’s guidance, so his signing would be absolutely fantastic when the inevitable happens (Bernardo leaving). He has risen to the occasion every time from Flamengo, to Lyon and then Eest Ham (except Milan but a case of the wrong type of player in the wrong context, and in the worst possible moment for the club), so I expect the City environment and Pep’s tactical imput to turn him into an even better player.

    Also, he is 🇧🇷 he’s gonna do wonders for this team.

  14. We’ve already got Savio coming in for a true winger, who has 12 goal involvements in 25 appearances as a 19-year-old against a very high level of competition in La Liga and playing for an underdog club.

    Silva’s role in the team, while sometimes executed out wide, is more as a creator and facilitator who contributes all over the place and tracks back.

    Of course on the whole, Bernardo is irreplaceable at the moment. But even so, that type of player is more a technical creative midfielder than a pure winger.

    Lastly, if he personally really has wanted a change of scenery for this long, then I’m happy to let him go for any reasonable offer. He’s given the club more than enough after last year’s treble.

  15. It’s a downgrade until the second he joins man city, then he’s the best midfielder in the world

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