Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that West Ham and Brazilian side Flamengo have agreed a Brazilian record €42 million deal for Lucas Paqueta. The transfer guru has stated that West Ham have accepted the proposal following direct talks with sporting director José Boto earlier today. With the agreement now in place, Paqueta is set to travel later today to complete the move. The midfielder will put pen to paper on a five-year contract, officially completing what is a dream move for the player as he returns to the club he joined in 2007 as a youth and then began his professional football career in 2016.
West Ham have been poor in the Premier League this season, and they are currently 18th in the Premier League, which puts them in a huge risk of potential relegation towards the end of the season. Paqueta has been one of the few players who has performed decently for the club during this struggling period, having made 18 Premier League appearances this season and being directly involved in 5 goals.
How will Brazilian club Flamengo pay such a huge fee to West Ham for Paqueta?
A report from ESPN has confirmed that West Ham have agreed to receive Lucas Paquetá’s transfer fee through 24 monthly installments, but the deal is still waiting on Flamengo to finalise how those payments will be structured. Sources told ESPN that the Brazilian club is carefully working on a payment plan that won’t strain their budget in the coming months.
"If it goes as West Ham wants, Flamengo will be taking risks," a source close to the negotiations told ESPN.
The source further said:
"We're not going to ruin our plans. The way we want to close the deal protects us even if we have a bad year financially. We want to be sure we can pay. That's called responsibility."
The ESPN report further stated that Flamengo initially intended to pay £30 million upfront, with the remaining £5.5 million spread over installments. However, club president Luiz Eduardo Baptista is now exploring a longer payment schedule, allowing Flamengo to keep funds available to strengthen the squad during the season.
Our opinion on Lucas Paqueta joining Flamengo from West Ham
We are personally happy for Lucas Paqueta, as the Brazilian wanted to return to his homeland and play for Flamengo. West Ham are also getting a decent fee for a player that had 18 months left in his contract and could've left as a free agent. They could now use that money to invest in the squad as they desperately need new quality signings to save them from relegation, especially with star player Paqueta now gone.
However, we cannot deny that it's a shame a player of his calibre has ended up returning to the Brazilian league in his prime years. There was a time when Pep Guardiola's Manchester City were seriously interested in the player, but concerns around an FA and FIFA betting investigation meant the Citizens didn't go ahead with a move. It will always remain a big "what if" had Paqueta joined Pep's Manchester City side. Nonetheless, we wish him all the best for his second stint at Flamengo.
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