Manchester City hold internal belief that potential summer signing could play in THREE positions for Pep Guardiola

Beliefs around Lucas Paqueta and his potential roles within the Manchester City squad have now been detailed, as transfer talk around the Brazilian continues to intensify.

Manchester City appear to be insistent on following up on their interest in Paqueta first established last summer, in a move to sign the player after a number of seasons admiring his work from afar.

It is widely believed City officials have held a strong admiration in the abilities of the 26-year-old playmaker since his days with Olympique Lyonnais in the French game, while his move to West Ham and subsequent performances have re-established their belief in his talents.

And in an upcoming summer where Manchester City could lose a player capable of operating in a number of positions in Bernardo Silva, a new report has detailed the early plans for Paqueta should a move to the Etihad Stadium be completed.

Whilst looking back on the development of Manchester City’s interest in Lucas Paqueta over the years, The Athletic have revealed that those within the Etihad Stadium were ‘already impressed’ by the player’s form at Olympique Lyonnais.

Such is City’s high-regard of Paqueta, The Athletic state they believe he can operate in three roles: A central playmaker, a winger who can come inside and help control matches in a similar manner to Bernardo Silva, as well as dropping deeper in midfield to help with build-up play.

But why did Manchester City not move for Lucas Paqueta prior to his big-money move to West Ham United in 2022?

It is further revealed that such a deal never came to fruition due to Bernardo Silva not leaving City, despite interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona. With Ilkay Gundogan also still at the club, The Athletic states that there was no urgency to sign an additional option.

Irrespective of the future of Bernardo Silva, and Manchester City’s intentions of recruiting Lucas Paqueta in the coming months, Pep Guardiola’s side will continue to retain players capable of operating in a number of positions.

Deeper in midfield, John Stones’ rise in working as a holding midfielder will likely be developed over the course of the coming months, while Phil Foden offers Pep Guardiola a more than capable option on either wing and in attacking midfield.

There are also some suggestions that Kevin De Bruyne could, in time, drop deeper into midfield to prevent too much dependency on ageing legs, with his passing range and an eye for goal still regarded as some of the best in the global game.