West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta would have joined Aston Villa during the summer transfer window if not for social media, according to Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
Villans manager Unai Emery wanted the West Ham star at the Villa Park club as he looked to strengthen his options in attacking midfield.
A loan deal with an obligation to buy to lure him away from the London Stadium club was mooted.
However, the move fell through and Paqueta remains with the Hammers, with Villa settling for loan deals for Manchester United star Jadon Sancho and his Liverpool counterpart Harvey Elliott on transfer deadline day.
“There are many deals that collapsed because of social media reporting,” Romano said on It’s Called Soccer!
“It is not just about me. It is also about other excellent journalists out there who can break a story and create a problem to the deal.
“I can guarantee to you that if there wasn’t social media Lucas Paqueta would be an Aston Villa player now.
“And now he is at West Ham because the deal collapsed because of the leaks too early or maybe in a crucial stage of negotiation and making people upset at West Ham.
“So this can happen, I think social media is really creating sometimes a problem to the negotiations. But this is also part of the game. I’m sure two or three days before the negotiation was quite advanced.”
"If social media didn’t exist, Paqueta would be an Aston Villa player!" 🤯
Fabrizio Romano reveals Paqueta's move to Aston Villa fell through due to leaks 📱
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While social media helps football fans get in the know during the transfer windows, it comes with its disadvantages, and it is tricky to prevent news from leaking weeks or months before a deal is done.
Missing out on Paqueta would have left Villa gutted, but they did manage to eventually bolster their attack in the closing hours of the window against all odds.
The Midlands club will now focus on performing well across all competitions this season, while the West Ham star would likely seek to leave the East London club at the end of the season after a summer exit failed last month.
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