Lucas Paqueta's arrival at Newcastle United this summer would make their midfield a force to be reckoned and see Bruno Guimaraes officially reunited with his best mate on Tyneside. French outlet L'Equipe reported on Thursday that the midfielder does in fact want to depart Lyon before the end of the transfer window.
Lyon's outspoken president Jean-Michel Aulas previously took a swipe at that exact French publication, hitting out at an article they wrote regarding Paqueta moving from AC Milan to Lyon. “Look at L’Equipe, with their false information and errors, it’s so sad when you know the reality to see such things!" he tweeted. The player joined Aulas' club shortly after...
The Lyon chief has been Paqueta's biggest champion. His club, who are not exactly flush with cash, spent a huge €21m to bring the Brazilian in from Milan despite some struggles. “I made the decision to sign him, and I did it alone. It was necessary to shell out 21 million euros overnight, in the middle of the pandemic,” Aulas said last year.
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This summer it will take a lot more than that figure to see him leave Lyon. Aulas himself quoted a fee of €80m (£68 million) back in January. That would represent a similar fee that Arsenal paid for Nicolas Pepe just a few years ago when they set a Ligue 1 record. The player's release clause stands at €70m (£60m).
However, that takes up a hefty chunk of Newcastle's summer budget. Importantly, in a position they don't necessarily need to strengthen in. Guimaraes, Joelinton, Jonjo Shelvey, Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff all fared well towards the end of the season and would be a more than adequate quintet to take into next season.
Other positions need to take priority. It's common knowledge the hunt for a centre-back is well and truly on, with Sven Botman the main target in that area. Should the Dutchman decide to join AC Milan this summer, the Magpies would undoubtedly redirect their attention to another central defensive target pretty swiftly. A striker is also high on the list to battle with Callum Wilson, while a goalkeeper could also be added to fight it out with Martin Dubravka for the No 1 jersey.
At this time, Newcastle have not submitted a concrete bid for Paqueta. The 24-year-old is certainly on their radar but may end up being out of reach in the coming weeks - much to the disappointment of fans and Bruno Guimaraes.
