Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly ‘showing interest’ in signing West Ham United star Lucas Paqueta, as per the Daily Mail.
Since joining the Hammers from Olympique Lyonnais back in 2022, the 27-year-old has showcased his qualities in the Premier League in recent years. He even guided his team to win the Conference League in the 2022/23 campaign.
However, his career became uncertain after the FA opened an investigation into allegations that he deliberately received yellow cards to influence the betting market a couple of years ago.
Manchester City were keen on purchasing him, but eventually opted not to finalise the move following these allegations. However, he has been cleared of breaching the FA’s betting rules.
Now, the Daily Mail report that Tottenham are ‘showing interest’ in signing Paqueta to strengthen the attacking midfield position after missing out on Eberechi Eze.
Aston Villa are also interested in Paqueta, but the Brazilian international is open to leaving London Stadium to play for a Champions League club. So, this is a big boost for the Lilywhites to seal the deal ahead of Aston Villa.
Paqueta to Tottenham
Unai Emery’s side just missed out on qualifying for the Champions League by losing to Manchester United in the final Premier League game last season.
On the other hand, Spurs have secured their place in Europe’s elite club competition by winning the Europa League despite finishing 17th in the English top flight last term.
Paqueta is valued at around £24m by Transfermarkt and has entered the final two years of his current contract. Therefore, the Hammers might look to cash-in on him this summer to make the most profit out of his departure.
Paqueta is a creative midfielder by trait but is also comfortable in the box-to-box role and on the left flank. He scored an emphatic goal against Chelsea in the second Premier League game on Friday night, although his side ended up losing the game 5-1.
The 27-year-old is a talented player and could be a shrewd acquisition for Tottenham should they purchase him. However, it is going to be interesting to see whether the North London club eventually opt to sign the West Ham star to reinforce the midfield this summer.
