West Ham establish Paquetá asking price after City bid rejected

Manchester City is reportedly interested in acquiring Lucas Paquetá, according to various reports, but West Ham needs the right price to sell its star.

With the departures of Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez, Pep Guardiola has lost two vital players this summer. By selling Riyad Mahrez to Al-Ahli, City earned an additional $38 million.

Seeing that Ilkay Gundogan left for Barcelona on a free transfer this summer, the European champions opted to replace him with Mateo Kovacic, who they acquired from Chelsea. But City still on the lookout for more offensive reinforcements.

Midfielder caught the eye of Pep Guardiola

The Brazilian media is reporting that Manchester City made a verbal offer to West Ham for Lucas Paquetá. After arriving in London for $61 million from Lyon a year ago, Paquetá made a strong first impression.

The 25-year-old did not always have the smoothest time in his debut season at the London Stadium. He may not have been consistently brilliant, but there were enough bright spots to prove he is a prodigy.

His play has even drawn the attention of Pep Guardiola. According to a previous report by ESPN, Manchester City joined the race for the playmaker as they aim to add depth to their midfield.

West Ham expects larger price for Paquetá after initial rejection

The Sky Blues even made a $89 million offer for the Brazilian midfielder during negotiations this week, as reported by Globo Esporte. However, David Moyes’ side has already said that they would not accept the offer and instead seek a greater sum.

Despite the rejected offer, Fabrizio Romano says the two teams are still talking about working out a deal. Guardiola is an admirer of the player. Therefore, City added him to its summer transfer target list despite difficult negotiations with West Ham.

The Hammers lost Declan Rice to Arsenal earlier this summer. Understandably, the London club is hesitant to lose another talented player to a Premier League foe. The club is aware, however, that the midfielder has his sights set on Manchester City.

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