Sky Sports journo drops update on "extraordinary" £34m Spurs target, Paratici must act - opinion

Tottenham Hostpur have been dealt a blow in their bid to bring Lucas Paqueta to north London this summer.

That’s according to Dharmesh Sheth, with the Sky Sports reporter revealing in a recent post on Twitter that, despite both Spurs and Arsenal having been linked with a move for the Olympique Lyonnais attacking midfielder in recent weeks, it is West Ham United who now appear to be leading the race for the 24-year-old.

Indeed, the journalist goes on to claim that David Moyes’ side have submitted a €40m (£34m) offer for the Brazil international, with the player’s agents believed to be in London in order to push through a move prior to September’s transfer deadline.

In his tweet, Sheth said:

“West Ham United have made a bid worth €40m for Lyon midfielder Lucas Paqueta. The player’s agents are in London and want to conclude a deal with a Premier League club before the end of the window. Talks continuing between the clubs.”

Considering just how exciting a talent Paqueta undoubtedly is, coupled with attacking midfield being known to be an area of his squad that Conte wants to add greater depth, the argument that Paratici must launch a late bid in an attempt to steal the 24-year-old away from West Ham is an easy one to make.

Indeed, the £59m-rated midfielder is very much an all-rounder in the middle of the park, with Paqueta working extremely hard in a defensive capacity, being more than capable of making things happen with the ball at his feet and posing a real danger when in the final third – traits which are evident in the Brazilian’s metrics over the last 365 days.

Going forwards, FBref rank the £53k-per-week playmaker in the top 12% of attacking midfielder and wingers in Europe’s big five leagues and European competitions