Despite Nuno’s desire to sign him, it has been revealed that West Ham United intend to sell their £150,000-a-week star this month.
West Ham in big trouble despite rest in FA Cup
This season has been nothing short of a disaster for West Ham, who are currently in serious danger of becoming a Championship club for the first time since 2011-12, seven points behind Nottingham Forest in 17th place, following a 2-1 defeat at Tricky Trees last time out.
There was some respite for the Hammers in the FA Cup on Sunday, which may have been a good distraction as they recorded a 2-1 extra-time win against Queens Park Rangers, but the priority will undoubtedly be to maintain their Premier League status.
To that end, the Irons have already made several additions this month, with new striker Valentin Castellanos scoring the winning goal against the R’s over the weekend.
However, Nuno and his team remain keen to secure further new contracts, with Benfica winger Andreas Schjelderup recently starting contract talks, and Toulouse centre-back Charlie Cresswell and Al Nasr goalkeeper Bent Matthäus also attracting interest.
However, it is starting to look like West Ham could be swayed by a move away before the end of the month, with reliable reporter Ben Jacobs telling GiveMeSport that Lucas Paqueta is open to a move away amid growing interest from the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa.
However, Paqueta’s preferred option is a return to his native Brazil, and despite Nuno’s desire to secure an attacking midfielder, the bosses are now willing to allow him to leave.
Selling Paqueta this month would be a big gamble.
It would be a big risk if West Ham were to let the former Lyon man leave this month, given that he has contributed four goals and one assist in 18 Premier League games this season and is one of the team’s key players.
Only Jarrod Bowen has scored more goals, highlighting the importance of the Brazil international to Nuno’s side, so the Hammers should try to keep him at least until the end of the season if possible.
West Ham in talks to sign Nuno with £22m ‘special’ player
He has a very bright future ahead of him.
Of course, the maestro’s value is likely to fall if West Ham are relegated, and he is the second highest earner in the squad at a staggering £150,000-a-week, so a raise this month could make sense from a financial perspective.
But while things don’t look good, the seven-point gap to Nottingham Forest is not insurmountable, meaning the Irons should not sign their best players this winter.
