West Ham defeated Newcastle on Sunday. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta has been linked with a move away from the club in recent months.
Hammers News reports that the Saudi Professional League club were keen to sign the Brazilian, with an offer of £50m open for him. However, manager David Sullivan declined the opportunity to sell the player. The Brazilian is unlikely to be sold midway through the season.
West Ham have turned down Lucas Paqueta’s approach
“We are aware that the Saudi Professional League have offered Lucas Paqueta more than £50m, but West Ham United owner David Sullivan has rejected that approach, insisting he wants double that to consider letting him leave in January,” Bailey exclusively told Hammers News.
“Sullivan is well aware that West Ham remain firmly in the retention race, remaining in the Premier League for 2026 is their primary objective, and allowing their star man to leave would not be the best aid to their efforts.
“I’m told the Hammers spoke to representatives of the Saudi professional league and there was an offer made at that time, but West Ham said no.
“To let go of a player like Paqueta, the Hammers would need to spend at least £75m to replace him, so they would need to ask for around £100m just to consider such a deal.
“This underlines that West Ham will not release any key players this January, Paqueta being one of them. It will be almost impossible to get a replacement in January.”
“They are finding that with their hunt for strikers it is never easy to find players willing to take part in a relegation battle. I have already heard that some contracts have been broken because of this.”
It will be interesting to see if the Saudi club is ready for him to return at the end of the season.
Hammers must protect Paqueta
Paqueta is an important player for West Ham and they need to keep him at the club if they want to do well this season. They are currently fighting to remain in the Premier League. Selling one of their best players would be a devastating blow and could cost them their place in the Premier League next season.
It remains to be seen how the situation will develop. The Brazilian may be tempted to take on a new challenge at this stage of his career. But West Ham cannot afford to lose him until the end of the season. Clubs wishing to sign him will have to wait until the end of the season.
On the other hand, West Ham have been in very poor form this season, so it will be interesting to see if they can bounce back strongly and finish in a respectable position. Paqueta will need to perform at a high level to lead his team to safety.
