West Ham have made a move to sign Lyon midfielder Lucas Paqueta, according to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth.
The 24-year-old Brazil international has been the subject of interest from Arsenal this summer, but appears the Hammers are the first to make an official move for the player, with a bid of €40m reportedly made.
Sheth explained on Twitter that Paqueta’s agents are currently in London to try and conclude a deal with a Premier League club, presumably causing West Ham to make an official move to sign him.
MailOnline, meanwhile, claim the clubs are in advanced talks over the midfielder’s signature, with a deal worth £33.7m on the table.
Paqueta has spent the last two seasons at Lyon following his switch from AC Milan in 2020, and has made 80 first-team appearances for the Ligue 1 outfit, scoring 21 goals and providing a further 14 assists.
Predominantly best playing in a No.10 role, the 33-cap Brazil international will be David Moyes’ eighth signing of the summer and would take the club’s spending to over £150m.
David Moyes has been eager to add depth to several areas of his squad this summer, most notably in midfield, up front and in the left-back position.
With striker Gianluca Scamacca and left-back Emerson Palmieri already through the door, Paqueta might just be the final piece of the puzzle for Moyes despite the arrival of midfielder Flynn Downes earlier in the campaign.
It offers Moyes the opportunity to rotate the likes of Pablo Fornals, Manuel Lanzini and even Tomas Soucek with Paqueta, adding important strength in depth to more than one area of his squad ahead of a busy season that could once again involve more than 50 fixtures.
