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Premier League club willing to sell key Manchester City target desperate to work under Pep Guardiola

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West Ham are poised to sell Lucas Paqueta to Manchester City for the right price and are preparing for a possible exit for the Brazilian, as per reports.

City are eyeing a move for the 25-year-old attacking midfielder to boost Pep Guardiola’s squad after Ilkay Gundogan joined Barcelona on a free transfer in June.

An opening verbal proposal worth £70 million proposal is believed to have been turned down by the Hammers, though City Xtra understand Manchester City have not so far submitted an official bid for Paqueta.

Guardiola is set to keep hold of Bernardo Silva despite interest from the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona, with confidence high at the Etihad Stadium over the Portuguese extending his current deal past 2025.

Manchester City are also expected to make an offer for Rennes forward Jeremy Doku after identifying the Belgium international as a potential replacement for Riyad Mahrez, who joined Al-Ahli for £30 million in July.

City remain in negotiations with West Ham over Paqueta, with a deal set to cost over £90 million given the market for midfielders following the £105 million transfer that took Declan Rice from Arsenal to West Ham, as per Mike McGrath of The Telegraph.

As per Jacob Steinberg of The Guardian, West Ham have accepted that it is likely that they will lose Paqueta and are working to strike a deal for the right price.

Paqueta has a release clause worth £85 million in his contract that kicks in next summer but it is expected that West Ham will hold out for a similar fee when negotiating with Manchester City in the near future.

Moreover, the London club are reluctant to keep hold of Paqueta against his wishes, with the midfielder’s head turned by interest from the north-west as well as the opportunity to work with Pep Guardiola.

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