Man City on red alert as Lucas Paqueta confirms transfer decision in new statement

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West Ham United's star attacking midfielder Lucas Paqueta has been heavily linked with Manchester City for the past few transfer windows

Lucas Paqueta celebrates after scoring for Brazil on international duty(Image: Andre Ricardo/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images)

Manchester City have been informed by Lucas Paqueta that he would be open to leaving West Ham United next summer when the transfer window reopens.

Paqueta has been intrinsically linked with City for the past couple of transfer windows as Pep Guardiola continues to seek new players who could improve his side. Their first interest in the midfielder fell through after the Blues were spooked by the FA charging the 28-year-old with four allegations of match fixing.

It was alleged that the midfielder attempted to be deliberately booked in four Premier League matches between November 2022 and August 2023. However, these charges were unproven and have now been dropped.

With that issue now behind the Brazilian, there were claims in the summer transfer window that Paqueta would seek to move on from the Hammers, who have been struggling as of late. But, after scoring against Nottingham Forest before deadline day, it appeared as though the midfielder was pledging his allegiance to the east Londoners.

While Paqueta is keen to stick with the Irons this season, the 28-year-old has now set a timer on his career with West Ham, leaving City primed to make a move should they wish to. Taking to Instagram on Thursday night, the midfielder wrote: "It’s about choosing those who welcomed you, who never judged you, who believed in you until the very last moment, who loved you and made you feel at home.

"It’s about staying loyal not only when you had everything, but also when there was nothing… It's not time to say goodbye yet!

"Let’s go together for one more season." The insinuation is that Paqueta will look to exit West Ham at the end of this current campaign but that may all depend on whether he enjoys a good campaign with Graham Potter's side or not.

A transfer for Paqueta next summer is complicated for City. They will hope to make money by selling unwanted stars like Jack Grealish but the Blues will be aware that Paqueta is set to be with the Brazil squad for the World Cup and therefore business will need to be completed quickly to ensure no disruption in negotiations.

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