Midfielder Lucas Paquetá is close to returning to Brazil. According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, who specializes in the transfer market, the 28-year-old player has a contractual agreement with Flamengo, the club that revealed him, which is negotiating the signing of the athlete with West Ham, from England.
Cleared of the sports betting case in July 2025, Lucas Paquetá is interested in leaving West Ham in this transfer window, which ends on January 31st, and is pushing for negotiations with the red-and-black team to take place. The player even asked not to play in the weekend’s match against QPR, according to The Guardian newspaper.
According to the English portal, Flamengo is willing to pay 40 million euros (around R$251 million, at current prices) for Paquetá.
Paquetá’s departure from West Ham, 18th in the Premier League, was a matter of time. According to the English press, the Brazilian wanted a transfer after being acquitted of match-fixing allegations, but his departure to Aston Villa was vetoed in the last window.
At the time, Flamengo even made a loan proposal for the midfielder, but it was rejected by the Hammers. As there was no other club interested, Lucas Paquetá remained at West Ham, where he has a contract until 2027, but there is the possibility of leaving for the English club to make money.
Lucas Paquetá arrived at West Ham in August 2022, coming from Lyon, France. According to a statement from the French team, the Londoners paid 61.63 million euros (R$309 million, at the time), which includes around 18.6 million euros (R$93.4 million) in variables, for the signing.
