Fabrizio Romano provides fresh update on Manchester City’s pursuit of Lucas Paqueta and Jeremy Doku
Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Manchester City are pushing to sign Lucas Paqueta and Jeremy Doku this week. He added that the transfers have entered the crucial stage, and official bids are imminent.
Manchester City are keen on bolstering their squad after the sale of Riyad Mahrez to Al Ahli. The Cityzens set sights on Doku and have been in talks with Rennes over the last couple of weeks.
ESPN has reported that the Ligue1 side are looking for a fee north of £45 million for their star player. The 21-year-old is interested in the move, but currently there is a gap in the two club's valuations of the Belgian.
City were also in talks with West Ham last week and reportedly made a verbal £70 million offer for Paqueta. The Brazilian in rumored to be keen on joining Pep Guardiola's side despite the Hammers knocking back the first offer for him.
Cityzens are expected to return with a fresh bid this week and are hoping to seal the deal soon. The two players are seen as the top targets this summer following the signing of Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea and Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig.
West Ham United open to selling Manchester City target
David Moyes has admitted that every West Ham United player has a price tag on his head this summer. They have already sold Declan Rice for £105 million to Arsenal and are now bracing themselves for offers from Manchester City for Lucas Paqueta.
The Hammers manager was talking to the media last week when he admitted that they were willing to listen to offers for their players. He added that they did not want to stand in the Brazilian's way if he was to join City or Real Madrid. He said:
"There's a price on everybody's head. We have had news on Lucas, but not anything to make our heads wobble. When you're on a journey to try to become better, sometimes you lose your best players. We've seen it happen before. We're on a journey to improve and get right to the top but Lucas is a fantastic player and I can see why many of the top teams would be after him."
Moyes added:
"We wouldn't want Lucas to go, it's as simple as that, but I also understand if you were in Lucas's position. Sometimes it is quite difficult to say to these boys, 'Sorry, you can't join Manchester City or Real Madrid,' because they are two of the biggest clubs in the world."
The Hammers have signed James Ward-Prowse from Southampton and Edson Alvarez from Ajax. They are still in talks with various targets, including Chelsea's Armando Broja (currently injured).