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Lucas Paquetá has sought to clarify his position after widespread reports suggested the West Ham playmaker was pushing to leave the club for Aston Villa.
The Brazilian, who joined the Hammers for a club-record £51m in 2022, has been at the centre of intense deadline-day speculation. Aston Villa have been in talks to secure a deal, while Tottenham Hotspur and Saudi Pro League sides have also been linked. Spurs have since cooled their interest following the arrival of Xavi Simons, and Paquetá is understood to have no desire to move to Saudi Arabia.
West Ham officials have publicly acknowledged Villa’s interest but have accused Paquetá of trying to engineer a move “on the cheap”. The Birmingham club, whose finances are constrained, have reportedly offered a loan with an obligation to buy totalling around £47m. The Hammers insist no agreement has been reached.
Transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano has been at the forefront of the saga, initially posting his trademark “here we go” on social media, only to delete it amid anger from West Ham’s board and confusion among fans. He later insisted that Paquetá had agreed to Villa’s project, suggesting a deal was still expected soon.
In response, Paquetá appeared to send a message of defiance. The 28-year-old posted an image of himself celebrating in a West Ham shirt, the City Ground in the background – a clear reference to the club’s upcoming fixture against Nottingham Forest. The picture followed recent gestures in which Paquetá pointed to the West Ham badge after scoring against Chelsea and Wolves.
The move was widely interpreted as an attempt to reassure supporters that he remains committed, though doubts persist. Some fans suspect the club are framing him as unsettled in order to justify a sale, while others believe Romano was misled by the player’s camp to force through a transfer.
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