West Ham's stance on selling Lucas Paqueta to Tottenham has now been revealed by a reliable Lilywhites insider, with Spurs boss Thomas Frank still scrambling to sign a new number 10 before the transfer deadline on September 1.
The north Londoners have expressed a serious late interest in Paqueta, and Fabrizio Romano has already confirmed that they've reached out over a potential deal by making contact.
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West Ham's Tomas Soucek celebrates with goalscorer Lucas Paqueta against Chelsea.
“In the last 24/48 hours, Tottenham also made some calls for other players. They wanted to understand the situation of Lucas Paqueta at West Ham," said Romano on his YouTube channel.
“Also a player they appreciate, and they know very well, and was already a target, but now, obviously, it’s late in the market, so it’s going to be difficult, is [Antoine] Semenyo at Bournemouth. Another name mentioned internally at Tottenham in the last 24 hours, then soon it’s going to be time to decide.
“Soon is going to be the time to make final decisions, attack and go for these new signings. But for sure, Tottenham will be busy again on the market. It’s not over at all. So they are optimistic to find the solutions they want.”
The Hammers midfielder, who was recently cleared of spot-fixing charges which he's battled for almost two years, is now looking to rediscover his best Premier League form after West Ham stood by him during the scandal.
West Ham already lost Mohammed Kudus to Tottenham in a deal worth £55 million earlier in the window, but the consensus is that Spurs could now look to poach yet another Irons star from the London Stadium in Paqueta.
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His best season came in 2022/2023, right after joining Lyon from West Ham for a club-record £51 million.
The 28-year-old bagged five goals and seven assists in all competitions, setting up Jarrod Bowen's winner in the Conference League final, with Paqueta racking up around 34 goal contributions in total since signing for the club.
The Brazil international also boasts 55 caps for his star-studded nation, and this late in the window, he could be one of Tottenham's only options who might actually upgrade Frank's squad.
Amid Spurs' approach for the player, very reliable club insider Paul O'Keefe has shared an update on West Ham's stance when it comes to selling one of their only prized assets with just days remaining till the summer deadline.
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West Ham's Lucas Paqueta against Liverpool.
According to O'Keefe, West Ham are in fact prepared to sell Paqueta for the right offer, but any Spurs deal hinges on Graham Potter's side finding a replacement.
"West Ham are prepared to sell at a number but they want replacements nailed on."
If a transfer domino takes effect, which would allow Frank to welcome Paqueta to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Flamengo's Filipe Luis thinks that they'd be landing a player suited to any team in world football.
"First, he is not a player of ours but belongs to a Premier League club, one of the best clubs in Europe, so we need to respect [that]," he said earlier this year.
"Paqueta has a big story here; the love of the affection of the fans, and I have no doubt that Paqueta has a place in any team of the world. You always find a place for players of such quality".