Lucas Paqueta and his agent were open to a move to Newcastle United in the summer when it became obvious his time at Lyon was coming to an end.
But with Eddie Howe in need of a forward, Newcastle looked elsewhere towards the end of the summer window to leave West Ham to the 25-year-old Brazil star. Indeed, as the deal for Alexander Isak was going through in late August, the former Flamengo and AC Milan player was already making his way to London to complete his £51million switch to the London Stadium.
As "come and get me" pleas go, Paqueta went as far as he could at the end of last season by taking a tour of the city with close pal and even donning a Newcastle kit in Bruno Guimaraes' garden for an end of term kickabout. But even in May, Lucas was not high on Eddie Howe's list with the Toon boss content with his midfield options and looking to improve other areas of his team's spine.
