Exclusive: West Ham to offer 2022 signing huge £200k-a-week contract amid Newcastle, Man City interest
West Ham duo Lucas Paqueta and Nayef Aguerd
West Ham want to finalise a new contract for influential midfielder Lucas Paqueta after tying Jarrod Bowen down to fresh terms recently, TEAMtalk understands.
On Sunday, West Ham announced that Bowen had pledged his future to the club by signing a colossal contract designed to keep him at the London Stadium until summer 2030. The right winger has been widely tipped to become Mo Salah’s successor at Liverpool, but Jurgen Klopp’s side will now find it even tougher to capture him away from West Ham.
The Irons have now turned their attention to organising contracts for some of Bowen’s team-mates, and sources have told TEAMtalk that Paqueta is next in line.
Paqueta, who only joined the club in August 2022, has a contract which runs until June 2027, while West Ham have the option to extend it by a further 12 months.
But TEAMtalk understands West Ham are preparing a contract offer for the Brazil international. Should he accept, then his wages will rise from a base salary of £150,000 a week to over £200k per week.
Paqueta currently has an £85million release clause in his contract, which will be re-negotiated as part of the new terms.
It will be tough for West Ham to tie Paqueta down, despite the wage increase on offer. This is because he is eager to play for a top European side. Nevertheless, West Ham manager David Moyes will push hard for the club to get the new deal over the line as Paqueta is one of his most important players.
Not only do West Ham want to reward the 26-year-old for his fine form, they also hope to end interest from Premier League rivals.
Lucas Paqueta on the radars of several West Ham rivals
In the summer, Paqueta emerged as a priority target for Manchester City while Pep Guardiola hunted for midfield additions.
City went on to submit a bid for Paqueta, and some reports even claimed that the player had agreed personal terms with his prospective new side.
A switch to the Etihad never materialised for Paqueta though, as he was investigated by the FA over potential betting breaches. City went on to snare Matheus Nunes from Wolves instead.
But Paqueta is still being courted, as Newcastle are reportedly planning a big-money swoop for him at the end of the campaign. In the mean time, West Ham will do all they can to prevent an exit from happening.
