'Deal was done' - Man City transfer that collapsed - could it happen now?

Manchester City had a 'deal done' for Lucas Paqueta in 2023, according to one of the player's representatives.

It was a strange transfer window for the Blues in the aftermath of winning the Treble, with a bid going in for Declan Rice before they opted not to match Arsenal's £105m. As they looked for a midfielder to fill the vacancy left by Ilkay Gundogan and the hole in the squad that Kalvin Phillips had not been able to fill, City settled on West Ham's Paqueta and a move for the player appeared to close until it emerged he was at the centre of a betting investigation by the FA.

That was enough to put City off and they turned instead to Matheus Nunes, paying Wolves £51m for the midfielder but struggling to get the best out of him. Nearly two years into his City career, the Portugal international has rarely been trusted to play in central midfield and is currently being used at right-back.

Former City player Barry Silkman has been representing footballers for decades and worked with Paqueta's agent on the deal to broker a move. He still regrets how it transpired, and how the investigation impacted on the player's form.

"The deal was done, but then this thing with the FA came up," he said on the Talking City podcast in an episode out on Friday. "When that fell through, I was absolutely gutted. I brought him into West Ham and I love him as a player.

"He had Man City written all over him. They must have had a scouting network in France but why they never bought him I don't know because it's not like he came into West Ham and all of a sudden improved. From the minute his feet touched the ground he was the same as he was in France.

"He was phenomenal and I kept thinking a major club had to come in for him. Then