West Ham have no intention to sell Lucas Paqueta in the January transfer window despite interest from Flamengo.
Paqueta is said to be keen on a return to his boyhood club, with the Brazilian side weighing up an offer for the 28-year-old.
Standard Sport understands that West Ham have yet to receive a formal offer for Paqueta, and are reluctant to let the midfielder go with the club in the midst of a relegation battle.
LIVE BLOG: All the latest transfer news and rumours
Paqueta has publicly expressed his desire to return to Flamengo, and admitted in an interview with Brazilian media outlet Globo in November that he found it hard to turn down interest from his former club in the summer.
The Brazilian has previously stated that he feels he owes a debt of loyalty to West Ham after they stood by him as he was cleared of spot-fixing charges. He responded emphatically to rumours of his departure to Aston Villa in August by celebrating with West Ham’s fans after scoring in a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
While West Ham are appreciative of Paqueta's situation and are keen to act in the interests of both the club and the player, they remain reluctant to sell one of their star players midway through the season.
The 61-cap Brazil international missed last weekend’s FA Cup victory over QPR, with reports suggesting he had asked not to play.
West Ham, though, say Paqueta is struggling with a back injury and remains a doubt for Saturday’s derby at Tottenham.
"All of them are recovering,” manager Nuno Espirito Santo said on Thursday. “All of them are recovering with different things.
“Konstantinos [Mavropanos] has had a neck issue that has taken some time and is still painful,” Nuno said in his pre-match press conference.
“Mateus [Fernandes] is back doing individual sessions, and Luca is still on treatment, so let's see. We still have a couple of days."
Asked about Paqueta’s future, Nuno said the club were trying to find a solution, while maintaining that he wanted his best players to stay in January.
He added: “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.”
