Manchester City ‘maintain contact’ with representatives of £85 million midfielder – Personal terms ‘not a problem’

Officials from Manchester City have reportedly maintained contact with the representatives of West Ham and Brazil midfielder Lucas Paqueta.

It is the latest development in an ever-growing situation surrounding the Premier League champions and a player that the club are known to have been admirers of for a very long time, and even more so during his spell in the English game.

Manchester City’s somewhat uncertain situation around their midfield ranks this summer are likely to spark the club’s transfer bosses into action, and as such take seriously their interest in Lucas Paqueta in particular.

However, the player’s ongoing Football Association investigation into betting allegations – first emerging last summer – is showing no signs of an imminent conclusion, and as such any move to Manchester is riding on that.

The latest information concerns the steps currently being taken by Manchester City to indicate their retained interest in Lucas Paqueta from last summer, and the current stance being taken by the player and how that may impact the negotiation of personal terms.

According to the information of The Athletic, Manchester City have been ‘impressed’ by Lucas Paqueta since his time with Olympique Lyonnais, and have ‘maintained contact’ with his camp in recent months.

On the subject of personal terms, it is further revealed that the expectation is that such details are ‘not expected to be a problem’ as Manchester City are Paqueta’s first choice, with a move having ‘progressed well’ since last summer.

Despite the breakdown in a move to the Etihad Stadium during the closing stages of the 2023 summer transfer window, The Athletic reiterate that Lucas Paqueta’s firm desire is to join Manchester City, as it was last summer.

However, the major stumbling block in any such deal is Paqueta’s ongoing Football Association investigation being dropped, while a deal may also only happen if other players depart Pep Guardiola’s side.

Other names Manchester City have been tipped to explore in recent months include two young talents from the Bundesliga, with Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz impressing at Bayern Munich and newly-crowned champions Bayer Leverkusen respectively.

However, on the subject of the latter, Leverkusen’s CEO Fernando Carro has seemingly shut down the potential for a summer move off the back of an incredible personal and collective campaign for the football club.

Carro explained, “Florian Wirtz will stay with us next season. The plan is clear, together with his father… There’s interest from many clubs, we can’t plan too long in football… But he’s staying… He could win the Ballon d’Or one day.”