Newcastle United supporters fantasized about signing Lucas Paqueta in the summer of 2022.
For Toon fans who were eager to see Bruno Guimaraes reunited with his closest friend at St James’ Park, the Brazilian was the ideal arrival.
Newcastle reportedly offered to shatter their transfer record to acquire him, and there was speculation of a move to Tyneside. Even Eddie Howe acknowledged that the club was considering signing Paqueta.
But West Ham was the team that captured him. For £51 million, they acquired the Brazil international from Lyon.
A decent first year almost led to a move this summer, with Manchester City trying their best to bring him to the Etihad. But a deal ended up collapsing when it emerged that the 26-year-old was being investigated for alleged betting breaches.
That put an end to his Manchester City move, but last season’s treble winners were not the only club who considered signing the attacking midfielder during the 2023 summer transfer window.
Newcastle were interested in Lucas Paqueta
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has spoke to Caught Offside about Paqueta, and shared that Newcastle were once again interested in signing him back in May.
“Another deal that nearly happened this summer was Lucas Paqueta, who was targeted by Manchester City,” he said.
“Of course clubs are now waiting to see the end of the investigation story. Newcastle were also interested back in May, but then they never sent proposals as their focus was on Sandro Tonali.”
Newcastle bought Tonali instead
Wow. It would have been a huge shock if Newcastle had signed Paqueta this year, having missed out in 2022.
At the beginning of the summer, the Magpies were looking for attacking midfielders, with James Maddison and Dominik Szoboszlai being strongly connected to St James’ Park moves. The team, however, determined that neither player was necessary.
You have to assume that they shared the same opinions on Paqueta, who functions in a manner similar to the above-mentioned duo.
Sandro Tonali, who became the club’s second-most expensive signing ever, was the target of Newcastle’s all-out effort.
His transfer certainly rocked the football world, despite the fact that he is already a fan favorite on Tyneside. But if Paqueta had come from West Ham, Toon fans probably would have been more astonished.
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