A West Ham United star is "deeply unhappy" an exit from the London Stadium hasn't happened, and is very keen to join one club in particular.
West Ham players who could leave this summer
Technical director Tim Steidten will be planning for departures as well as incomings this summer, with a host of Irons players nearing the ends of their contracts.
West Ham make approach to sign defender tipped to become "one of the best"
The Hammers want to bolster their backline.
ByEmilio GalantiniMar 28, 2024
Ben Johnson, Angelo Ogbonna, Aaron Cresswell and young keeper Joseph Anang are all on course to leave West Ham when their deals run out, while the likes of Michail Antonio, Vladimir Coufal and Divin Mubama are in the same boat but have the option to extend by a further year.
Alongside the aforementioned, both Nayef Aguerd and Kurt Zouma are being linked with moves to the Middle East, which makes the defensive duo candidates for the West Ham chopping block as well.
Newcastle United (away)
March 30th
Tottenham (home)
April 2nd
Wolves (away)
April 6th
Fulham (home)
April 14th
Crystal Palace (away)
April 21st
Aguerd's inconsistency has been a real cause for concern for manager David Moyes, with the Morocco international prone to a fatal in-game error on more than one occasion.
While the likes of Aguerd, Zouma and Moyes' out-of-contract crop appear fairly dispensable, the same certainly cannot be said for midfielder Lucas Paqueta.
The Brazil international has been phenomenal this campaign, standing among West Ham's best-performing players and attracting serious interest from Man City as a result.
Paqueta was being chased by Pep Guardiola last summer, but his involvement in betting allegations meant City pulled the plug on a deal.
"Following the recent betting-related allegations made against Lucas Paqueta, Manchester City are now internally discussing the Brazilian’s potential transfer," Fabrizio Romano wrote in his CaughtOffside Substack last year.
"The deal between Manchester City and West Ham is currently off. We can say that is 99% collapsed and we’re just waiting for the final communication, but this is the feeling. The situation is very clear."
The former Lyon star, it is believed, still firmly has his sights on a move to Eastlands.
Paqueta "deeply unhappy" over failed Man City move
Paqueta has been left "deeply unhappy" over his failed switch, according to Football Insider and journalist Wayne Veysey.
It is also the case that Paqueta remains very keen on a transfer to Man City, and West Ham are fully expecting the Blues to make a move for the player again.
Losing the South American would be a hammer blow for Moyes or any prospective new Irons coach next season.
“He’s incredible, honestly, he’s absolutely incredible,” said former captain Declan Rice.
“It’s obviously taken him a while to settle into the Premier League and into the training ground, moving his family over. I think now you’re seeing the real Lucas. Some of the stuff he does, even in training, it’s just mind-boggling how good he is.”