Manchester City are chasing a midfielder from a Premier League rival this transfer window, but they will have to stump up more cash if they are to sign him after having already had a bid rejected.
Manchester City have only signed Matteo Kovacic and Josko Gvardiol this window, with Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez both leaving the club. While Pep Guardiola is keen to replace Mahrez with another winger, he is also looking at improving his squad depth in midfield.
With Bernardo Silva wanting to leave for Barcelona, the Portuguese could be granted his wish should City land a target they've already bid a considerable fee for.
According to Brazilian outlet Ge Globo, Manchester City have offered West Ham £70m for their Brazilian midfielder Lucas Paqueta. Talksport are also reporting the treble winners are interested in the 25-year-old, though the Brazilian report suggests the bid will be rejected as the Hammers are reluctant to sell.
Having already lost Declan Rice to Arsenal this summer, and only managing to bring in Edson Alvarez so far, West Ham are desperate to keep hold of Paqueta. They could make substantial profit on him, though, after signing him just last summer for around £50m.
He does still have four years remaining on his contract with West Ham, though, with Transfermarkt valuing him at around £40m.
Paqueta's performances in the Europa Conference League earned him a spot in the competition's Team of the Season, as West Ham went onto beat Fiorentina in the final in Prague. An integral player during their campaign, he made the assist for Jarrod Bowen's last-gasp winner in the final.
A technical player, Paqueta took a bit of time settling in east London, but once he did, he consistently impressed for West Ham. Scoring three goals and laying on a further four assists in the Premier League, Paqueta would slot straight into the Manchester City midfield alongside the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri and Kovacic.
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A season preview for Manchester City is available, and asks if they can break even more records in the upcoming campaign following their treble win. Every single club in the top four tiers of English football have also been previewed.
Manchester City have been linked with a move for Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies. City could also swoop for Belgium winger Jeremy Doku as a replacement for Riyad Mahrez.
But doubts remain over the future of Bernardo Silva, amid talk that he wants to join Barcelona.
