Manchester City is considering a move for West Ham star Lucas Paqueta, but they will have to pay a hefty transfer fee of £85 million.
This amount matches a release clause in Paqueta’s contract, which is set to come into effect next year.
West Ham is reluctant to lose the Brazilian international, who they signed for £51.3 million from Lyon just a year ago.
However, they also don’t want to upset Paqueta by blocking his desired move to the European champions.
The Hammers board is keen to avoid a repeat of the Dimitri Payet saga from 2017, where the player forced a return to Marseille after downing tools.
City manager Pep Guardiola is a big admirer of Paqueta and is in search of another playmaker, especially with captain Kevin De Bruyne facing injury concerns.
City’s previous offer of £60 million was rejected, so they may need to significantly increase their bid to convince West Ham to sell.
One potential solution could be offering City’s England midfielder Kalvin Phillips in exchange, who is valued at £50 million and is of interest to West Ham manager David Moyes.
This article was updated 2 months ago
