Lucas Paquetá Saga Continues as McAtee Emerges as Key to Potential West Ham-Man City Deal

Lucas Paquetá Saga Continues as McAtee Emerges as Key to Potential West Ham-Man City Deal

Manchester City and West Ham United were once on the verge of completing an £80 million transfer involving Lucas Paquetá—until the FA launched its betting investigation into the Brazilian. Since then, the deal collapsed, and Paquetá’s career has effectively been in limbo for nearly two years, with no resolution announced as of the end of June.

Should he eventually be cleared, Paquetá would no doubt jump at a renewed opportunity to join Pep Guardiola’s side, though any future deal would almost certainly be for a reduced fee. West Ham, meanwhile, seem to have accepted the likelihood that the midfielder will look to restart his career elsewhere—whether at Manchester City, back in Brazil, or even in Saudi Arabia, as recent reports suggest.

Now, frustration around the entire situation has deepened with the revelation that Manchester City’s highly-rated midfielder James McAtee—long admired by West Ham—is in talks with Fiorentina. The Italian club is reportedly preparing a bid of around €20 million, or potentially even less, for the England U21 captain. For a player of McAtee’s calibre, that’s a bargain.

This development is particularly irksome for West Ham, who could have pursued a swap-style arrangement had Paquetá’s situation been resolved. Either Paquetá could’ve been used to lure McAtee, or McAtee could’ve been West Ham’s bargaining chip in negotiations with City.

With the FA still silent on Paquetá’s case, West Ham are essentially stuck. That’s a shame, especially given that over 20 clubs are reportedly interested in McAtee. With a bit of luck and clearer circumstances, the Hammers could have positioned themselves at the front of the queue.

There’s still hope for Guardiola, too—he’s known to be a fan of Paquetá and is reportedly looking to reshape his midfield. But in the current ‘Paquetá limbo,’ West Ham boss Graham Potter may have to convince the club’s hierarchy to invest directly and go after McAtee through a traditional cash deal.

Convincing the player to join the ‘Potter project’ may prove to be the bigger challenge. McAtee is young, homegrown, ambitious, and undeniably talented. At just £20 million, he could be one of the bargains of the window.