Fabrizio Romano has caused a stir by deleting his trademark ‘here we go’ post on a deal between West Ham and Aston Villa for Lucas Paqueta but insists the move is still on.
Aston Villa have been pushing hard to sign Lucas Paqueta from West Ham for the last week.
Last Sunday, West Ham’s owners revealed Villa and Spurs want Paqueta along with two Saudi clubs.
The Hammers board then confirmed yesterday Paqueta is trying to ‘bully’ his way out of West Ham and into Aston Villa ‘on the cheap’.
In the same article Hammers News exclusively revealed Aston Villa were the club most likely to sign Paqueta if he leaves.
Romano deletes ‘here we go’ on West Ham deal with Villa for Paqueta
He is one of several players West Ham say are using the same tactics in a desperate bid to get out of West Ham before Monday night’s transfer deadline.
Fabrizio Romano angered West Ham and the club’s fans with his actions before the opening game of the new season.
The self-styled transfer insider stated on the eve of the defeat at Sunderland that Paqueta wanted to leave West Ham.
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It was clear Romano had been briefed with the information.
When Paqueta faced a backlash from many West Ham fans who were disgusted by the timing given the club stood by the Brazilian for two years during his spot-fixing case, Romano back-pedalled somewhat.
West Ham star Lucas Paqueta in action during the pre-season tour of America
Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
But the Paqueta situation is threatening to get very messy with cash-strapped Aston Villa trying to get the deal done with the equally financially-challenged Hammers.
Now Romano has deleted his ‘here we go’ on a West Ham deal with Aston Villa for Paqueta but says the deal is still on.
Romano’s trademark ‘here we go’ is effectively his guarantee of a deal.
But West Ham have managed to prove the Italian wrong on several occasions down the years, most notably defender Fabricio Bruno last year and goalkeeper John Victor this summer.
As a result Romano has admitted he is hesitant to confirm West Ham deals until he sees the player in question holding up the shirt.
Romano says Paqueta move to Villa still ‘expected soon’
Romano posted ‘here we go’ on Paqueta joining Aston Villa to his Instagram account but went on to delete the post.
The wording of his X post on the deal late last night was slightly different, though, teasing that a ‘here we go’ on 28-year-old’s move to Villa Park ‘is expected soon’.
Romano said Villa were closing on an agreement for a deal worth a total £47m package including loan fee, obligation to buy and add-ons.
He says Paqueta has accepted the move to Aston Villa and is ‘keen on the project and ready to join’
“Here we go, expected soon,” Romano said.
🚨💣 Understand Aston Villa are closing in on Lucas Paquetá deal with West Ham!
£47m package including loan fee, obligation to buy and add-ons.
Paquetá has accepted #AVFC move, keen on project and ready to join.
Here we go, expected soon. 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/SS8Nzq3Sxv
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 30, 2025
View Tweet
That post angered West Ham’s board who continue to insist they have not accepted Aston Villa’s offer.
Lucas Paqueta scores from long range in West Ham's Premier League defeat to Chelsea
Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images
Angry Hammers force Romano to back-pedal over Paqueta
After the deleted Instagram post, Romano then posted an update close to 11pm last night.
He once again reiterated the Villa bid remains on the table and Paqueta wants the move but the Hammers hierarchy have clearly set him straight.
“No final green light to proceed from West Ham at this point as West Ham still hope to keep Paqueta,” Romano said.
“(Graham) Potter has requested not to sell the Brazilian while Villa are pushing.”
🚨🇧🇷 More on Lucas Paquetá. Aston Villa bid for £47m total package on the table with player keen on move.
No final green light to proceed from West Ham at this point as #WHUFC still hope to keep Paquetá.
Potter has requested not to sell the Brazilian while Villa are pushing. pic.twitter.com/WnX5oQlmTQ
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 30, 2025
View Tweet
Many Aston Villa fans weren’t happy with Romano either, saying he was “backtracking”.
Some cynical West Ham fans believe the club is desperate to offload Paqueta, who was in the process of being sold for £80m to Man City when the spot-fixing allegations first emerged two years ago.
Those supporters think the club is trying to start a narrative that Paqueta wants out and is forcing a move away.
Particularly as it will likely come too late to sign a proper replacement with the money.
Others think Romano is being briefed by Paqueta’s agents in a bid to get out of West Ham.
It’s a messy situation, especially with West Ham and Aston Villa in action against Forest and Palace on Sunday.
At least Hammers fans won’t have long to wait to find out the conclusion with the summer transfer window slamming shut on Monday night at 7pm.
Reports emerging from Germany yesterday suggest West Ham are turning to Arsenal for a potential Paqueta replacement.