Journalist Ross Gregory has claimed that Newcastle United aren’t pursuing Lucas Paqueta this summer while speaking on the NUFC Matters YouTube channel.
For the majority of the summer, Newcastle have been heavily linked with the Brazilian midfielder, who according to reports, has now put in a transfer request, suggesting that he is desperate for a move away.
A lot of the links to Paqueta may well be coming from his very close relationship with current Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, who has seemingly already handed him a Toon shirt during his time on Tyneside earlier this year.
However, Gregory has emphatically shut down rumours of Paqueta joining Eddie Howe’s side.
He said: “If you’re looking at £68-70m for Paqueta, which is by all accounts the asking price from Lyon, Newcastle just aren’t in a position to be paying 60-plus million for an attacking midfielder, in my opinion – not in this window. It’s a really interesting one because the links are always going to be there.
Do you want Newcastle to sign Paqueta?
Yes!
No!
“I might be completely wrong, I might have got this completely wrong, but there’s nothing that I’ve heard that suggests that he’s a target for Newcastle in this transfer window.”
TIF Thoughts on links to Paqueta…
A lot of Newcastle fans, perhaps understandably, may want the Magpies to sign Paqueta so he can link up with Guimaraes once again and because he’s a proven creative threat – ranking 11th out of every Ligue 1 player last season in terms of shot-creating actions.
However, given their need to bring in some quality on the right-hand side – with their current options combining for a total of four league goals last season – and add some depth to the striker department considering Callum Wilson’s injury record, to fork out around £60m for Paqueta just wouldn’t make sense.