West Ham have agreed a £35.8million deal in principle to sell Lucas Paqueta to Flamengo now, without the player staying on loan for the rest of the season.
Discussions are expected to be concluded by the end of this week over the structure of payments with Flamengo looking to pay the fee in sections over a three-year period plus a set amount up front.
Flamengo president Luiz Eduardo Baptista told Brazilian media: ‘What I can say is that we are close. Today, the difference lies in the way the payment will be made. We have reached an agreement on several aspects, which I consider the most important ones.
‘We started with weekly contact, then more frequent contact, now we are in contact every hour to adjust one thing or another. But I cannot specify how long this will take.
‘There is always the other side and West Ham’s needs. We are trying to see how we adjust our capacity to honour what we are committing to.’
Paqueta has grown disillusioned with life in England since being accused of spot-fixing by the Football Association. He was cleared of the charges by an independent disciplinary commission last summer, but it cost him a potential transfer to Manchester City and he has made it clear that he wants to leave during this transfer window. The 28-year-old has missed West Ham’s past three games. He is nursing a minor back injury.
Lucas Paqueta joined West Ham from Lyon in 2022 and has played 124 games for the club
Funds from his transfer can be utilised as the Hammers look to add a centre-back, plus a midfielder with several names being worked on and they remain in talks to sign winger Adama Traore from Fulham.
Midfielder Guido Rodriguez officially joined Valencia for a nominal fee on Monday.
James Ward-Prowse could yet leave despite being recalled to the squad and would-be suitors Burnley exploring other options.
