Fabrizio Romano shares transfer news involving Lucas Paqueta and Newcastle

Newcastle United have recently been linked with a move for West Ham United’s Lucas Paqueta, and a reliable journalist has now delivered an update on him potentially moving to St. James’ Park.

How old is Lucas Paqueta and how long has he been at West Ham?

Paqueta is 26 years of age and has plied his trade at the London Stadium since moving there last summer from Lyon, and so far he’s made a total of 46 appearances for David Moyes’ side.

The Irons’ attacking midfielder still has another four years remaining on his contract, but having established himself as his boss’ overall second best-performing player this season with a WhoScored match rating of 7.48, he’s caught the eye of PIF and Eddie Howe.

According to Spanish reports (via The Daily Mail), the Magpies have highlighted the Brazil international as a suitable transfer target for the window in January, but as we all know, he wasn’t far off recently making the move to Premier League rivals Manchester City.

The E20 talisman had agreed personal terms to join Pep Guardiola’s side in an £80m move over the summer, but due to the FA investigating him over alleged betting breaches, via Sky Sports, he ended up remaining in the capital beyond September 1st.

Are Newcastle signing Lucas Paqueta?

Now, writing in his column for CaughtOffside, Fabrizio Romano has shared both Newcastle and Man City’s stance over a possible approach in early 2024. He said:

“Another deal that nearly happened this summer was Lucas Paqueta, who was targeted by Manchester City. Of course clubs are now waiting to see the end of the investigation story. Newcastle were also interested back in May, but then they never sent proposals as their focus was on Sandro Tonali.

“Manchester City always appreciated Paqueta but they invested money on Matheus Nunes, big money; so at the moment they’re not planning for that move in January.”

How much is Lucas Paqueta paid per week?

At West Ham, Paqueta currently pockets £150k-per-week which he has more than earned following his arrival, so it’s no surprise to see that the northeast outfit have been credited with an interest in securing his services.

The TFM Agency client, who is sponsored by Nike, ranks in the 99th percentile for tackles and the 97th percentile for clearances against players in his position, so he loves to get stuck in and clear the danger for his team, while he’s also capable of making a positive impact at the opposite end of the pitch.

Moyes’ left-footed ace has posted 14 contributions (eight assists and six goals) during his 46 club outings, so for such a well-rounded player, he would be an excellent addition should Newcastle convince him to put pen to paper in the future.

Finally, Paqueta is a versatile operator having been deployed in seven different positions over the pitch since the start of his career, including everywhere across the midfield, out wide on the left-wing and even at centre-forward, so this really is a no-brainer of a deal to pursue should the opportunity present itself.