West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta has made an admission about his future at the club amid repeated suggestions he could leave in January.
Paqueta's time at West Ham has been intriguing to say the least, and fresh speculation has emerged recently about a potential winter exit from the London Stadium.
Lucas Paqueta
West Ham paid £51 million to secure his services in a club-record deal from Lyon three years ago, with the Brazilian quickly establishing himself as one of the Premier League's most technically gifted playmakers in his debut season under David Moyes.
Paqueta helped the Hammers to a glorious Conference League triumph that year, their first major trophy since 1980 and first European trophy since 1965, but a spot-fixing scandal then began to overshadow his time at the London Stadium.
West Ham manager David Moyes
West Ham manager David Moyes
The 28-year-old was charged with four alleged breaches of FA rule E5.1 in May 2024, relating to matches involving West Ham, with allegations that he directly sought to influence matches by intentionally seeking to receive a card from the referee for influence of the betting market.
The investigation, which began in August 2023, cast a dark cloud over his future, with the FA once seeking a lifetime ban for him. Throughout the ordeal, West Ham stood firmly by their star man, and in July this year, he was finally cleared.
With that uncertain point of his career finally over, Paqueta got back to focusing on the pitch, and clubs also started taking an interest in the £150,000-per-week star.
West Ham's results in the Premier League so far
Sunderland 3-0 West Ham
West Ham 1-5 Chelsea
Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham
West Ham 0-3 Tottenham
West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace
Everton 1-1 West Ham
Arsenal 2-0 West Ham
West Ham 0-2 Brentford
Leeds 2-1 West Ham
West Ham 3-1 Newcastle
West Ham 3-2 Burnley
Aston Villa tried to sign Paqueta in the summer, but he ultimately chose to stay put and show loyalty to a side who backed him off the field.
However, credible reports are indicating that his long-term future could be away from Rush Green. The Times recently reported that Paqueta is keen to leave West Ham as early as next month, with Fabrizio Romano also backing up that the ex-Ligue 1 star's exit is a realistic possibility.
Lucas Paqueta makes West Ham transfer admission and expects move to happen
Now, the player himself has come out to make a revelation of his own.
Speaking to Brazilian outlet Globo, as translated by Standard Sport, Paqueta says that he had a desire to return to Flamengo in the most recent summer window, and he expects that transfer to happen eventually due to his close ties with the club.
West Ham United's Lucas Paqueta celebrates scoring their first goal
"Maybe I shouldn't even be saying this, but I had some conversations with Filipe (Luís), who is a friend, in addition to the work he's doing at Flamengo,” he said.
“I really expressed my desire to return and also showed it to my agents.
“It was a difficult decision because I'm 28 years old, it's very young, and I still have a lot of market value outside of here. I've been doing my job well, but it was a very strong desire. And I tried very hard, but unfortunately, once again, I decided to respect my club, not to force anything, because it's a club that supported me, that I have enormous affection for.
“So I let it happen, and it really didn't. I understood that it wasn't the right time, but I know the doors will always be open for me. I know that at some point this return will happen.”
Paqueta's current deal expires in 2027, and while Nuno Espirito Santo won't want to lose him in January, a summer transfer certainly appears on the cards next year.
Unfortunately for chairman David Sullivan, by that point, the Irons wouldn't be in a position to demand big money for the player with just one year remaining on his contract.
Flamengo's best opportunity to strike a reunion could be next year, if a more illustrious European or Premier League big-hitter don't move to entice him first.