West Ham transfer news: Lucas Paqueta confirms exit talks, makes “difficult decision” claim

Lucas Paqueta has confessed that rejecting a summer approach from boyhood club Flamengo was difficult, but he chose to remain with West Ham United out of gratitude for the support they showed during his spot-fixing scandal with the Football Association.

Following a near two-year investigation, the Brazil international was cleared by an independent regulatory commission in July of four charges that he deliberately got booked in four separate Premier League games in 2022 and 2023 "for the improper purpose of affecting the betting market".

The FA have acknowledged the "mental stress" suffered by Paqueta, who was threatened with a potential lifetime ban from football and saw an £85m transfer to Manchester City collapse in the summer of 2023.

Paqueta was linked with a transfer to Aston Villa towards the end of this summer, but it was an approach from his former club Flamengo that the 28-year-old found difficult to turn down.

Speaking to Brazilian news outlet Globo, Paqueta said: “The first moment [Flamengo tried to sign me] was when [Marcos] Braz was still at Flamengo, there was that contact.

“I know of Flamengo's desire, and they know of my desire, my passion for the club, so it's something that always happens.

Paqueta opens up on Flamengo summer transfer talks

“As soon as I was accused, and the whole trial process was about to begin, Braz came to my house, made the offer, and asked what I thought.

“Obviously, I always want to go back to Flamengo, but at that moment I was still a bit undecided about my decision, about what I was going to do.

“Then I also talked to the West Ham director and said: 'Braz, I want to go back, I know I'll feel good at Flamengo, but I can't be ungrateful to the club that's supporting me so much.'

“They supported me a lot at all times, helped me in various situations, so I couldn't force an exit from a place where I was being welcomed and respected.

“They respected me, my wife, my family. So I said: 'I want you to resolve this.' But yes, this exchange with Flamengo did happen.”

In the summer, Paqueta expressed his desire to re-join Flamengo, where he spent the first three years of his professional career between 2016 and 2019, but he has acknowledged that his loyalty to West Ham and his steep valuation prevented the transfer from materialising.

‘I shouldn't say this’: Paqueta comments on “difficult decision”

“Maybe I shouldn't even be saying this, but I had some conversations with Filipe [Luis], who is a friend, in addition to the work he's doing at Flamengo,” said Paqueta. “I really expressed my desire to return and also showed it to my agents.

“It was a difficult decision because I'm 28 years old, it's very young, and I still have a lot of market value outside of here. I've been doing my job well, but it was a very strong desire.

“And I tried very hard, but unfortunately, once again, I decided to respect my club, not to force anything, because it's a club that supported me, that I have enormous affection for.

“So I let it happen, and it really didn't. I understood that it wasn't the right time, but I know the doors will always be open for me. I know that at some point this return will happen.”

Paqueta is under contact at the London Stadium until June 2027 and it has been reported that the playmaker is looking to leave West Ham in January amid growing fears that the Hammers could be relegated from the Premier League this season.

However, head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has played down such speculation and has insisted that West Ham “need” Paqueta if they are to climb away from danger.

The 2023 Conference League winner has made a total of 132 appearances for the Hammers across all competitions since joining from Lyon in 2022, scoring 22 goals and providing 14 assists.