West Ham transfer news: Lucas Paqueta to Flamengo latest as Nuno Espirito Santo makes feelings clear amid January rumours

Nuno Espirito Santo has provided the latest update on Lucas Paqueta’s situation at West Ham United.

The 28-year-old is understood to have expressed his desire to leave the London Stadium this month and secure a move back to Flamengo where he began his career in his native Brazil.

It is claimed that Paqueta has been deeply affected by the well-documented investigation by the Football Association into spot-fixing allegations and he does not want to stay in England.

In addition, Paqueta is wanting a fresh start elsewhere and is determined to return to the Brazil national team for the 2026 World Cup this summer.

According to BBC Sport, Paqueta is pushing to leave, but West Ham are reluctant to let him go at a time when they are battling to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

Paqueta has chipped in with four goals and one assist for a struggling Hammers side who currently sit 18th in the top-flight table and seven points adrift of safety with 17 games remaining.

Paqueta exit could hinge on loan agreement with Flamengo

A separate report from The Telegraph claims that reigning Brazilian champions Flamengo have indicated that they are prepared to offer €35m (£30.3m) for Paqueta and are trying to arrange a meeting with West Ham to discuss a January deal.

West Ham are said to already have an agreement with Paqueta to part ways in the summer, but the Hammers insist that any deal with Flamengo this month will be contingent on the midfielder returning to the club on loan for the rest of the 2025-26 season.

The report adds that Flamengo are expected to increase their offer to around €40m (£34.7m) if their opening bid is rejected, and this may tempt West Ham into agreeing to the move for a player who will soon be entering the final year of his contract.

Paqueta missed last weekend's FA Cup third-round victory over Queens Park Rangers, which sparked suggestions that he did not make himself available because he wants to leave.

However, the playmaker’s absence was down to a minor injury and Nuno has confirmed that he will be assessed ahead of West Ham’s Premier League trip to London rivals Tottenham on Saturday.

Nuno keen to 'resolve Paqueta situation' amid West Ham exit talk

Providing a full fitness update on his squad, Nuno told reporters on Thursday: He said: "All of them are recovering. All of them are recovering with different things. Konstantinos (Mavropanos) has had a neck issue that has taken some time and is still painful.

“Matheus (Fernandes) is back doing individual sessions and Luca (Paqueta) is still on treatment, so let's see. We still have a couple of days."

Nuno also said that he is keen to keep hold of Paqueta amid speculation surrounding his future, adding: “I think it's a situation we have to solve. We always want our best players involved, so let's try to sort the situation.

Paqueta is said to have taken part in partial training on Thursday and a late call will be made on his availability for Saturday.

The Brazilian joined West Ham from Lyon for a club-record £51m in 2022 and he has since made a total of 139 appearances in all competitions, scoring 23 goals, providing 15 assists and memorably winning the 2022-23 Conference League.