West Ham handed huge Lucas Paqueta boost as Lyon move to sign his countryman for £33m

And it was suggested that the West Ham owners need to raise their opening £42 million offer for the 24-year-old by a further £8 million, if they are to bring the Brazilian ace to East London.

What a signing Paqueta would be for West Ham. We think he’d be more than worth the £50 million fee being quoted.

It seems as though the Hammers have a great chance of signing the ex-AC Milan ace, with Lyon allegedly preparing for life without him…

West Ham handed big Lucas Paqueta boost

UOL reckon that Lyon are eyeing up a move to sign Flamengo star Joao Gomes as a replacement for the ‘soon to be departed’ 24-year-old Brazilian.

That’s obviously great news for West Ham and if it’s true, it seems as though all we need to do is raise our bid for Paqueta by another £8 million or so.

If the Hammers manage to get a deal for the Lyon ace over the line, he will arguably be our most exciting signing over the past couple of decades.

The 33-capped Brazil international is an attacking midfielder by trade but he can also operate on either wing if need be.

The silky left-footed ace has bagged 20 goals and 13 assists in 77 games for Lyon so far. Last season, he racked up 11 goals and seven assists in 44 appearances for the French side (Transfermarkt).

Paqueta possesses exceptional technique, impressive pace and has a real eye for goal and a killer pass.

When Liverpool were linked with a move to sign him, Reds fan-site Read Liverpool described the South American star as ‘electrifying’.

We think that £50 million for Lucas Paqueta wouldn’t be bad value at all for West Ham. Perhaps the Hammers and Lyon can meet somewhere in the middle around £45 million or so.

And with Lyon already preparing for his exit from the Groupama Stadium, it seems as though it might not be too long before we see the Brazilian holding up the West Ham shirt.

Diario do Fla claim that Joao Gomes could cost around R$200 million (£33 million), so Lyon will still be well in the green if they sell Paqueta and sign his countryman.

Read other West Ham news:

Report: Moyes now eyeing move to sign £95k-a-wk winger who ‘wants to join West Ham’

Report: West Ham now want to sign £15m 2019 Europa League winner from PL rivals