‘Made it clear’ – West Ham explain why they reluctantly sold Lucas Paqueta as deal confirmed

West Ham have confirmed the sale of Lucas Paqueta to Brazilian club Flamengo.

Paqueta joins Flamengo on a long-term contract after the two clubs agreed on a €42million (£36m) fee.

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The fee, which is a slight increase on Flamengo’s bid of €41m, helped the Brazilian side negotiate more preferable payment terms.

It means Hammers boss Nuno Espirito Santo loses a key player midway through a relegation battle.

In a club statement, West Ham insisted they were reluctant to sell and tried to convince Paqueta to stay.

They said: “Lucas has made it clear that, for personal and family reasons, he wishes to return home to Brazil and make a fresh start after being cleared in July 2025 of FA misconduct charges that took two years to be resolved – a situation that caused him significant mental strain.

“Despite the Club doing everything possible to persuade Lucas to stay, he has remained adamant that his wish is to leave. Therefore, the Head Coach and the Club have reluctantly agreed to accept his transfer request.

“West Ham United would like to take this opportunity to thank our management, players, staff and loyal supporters for the unwavering and devoted support they have shown to Lucas throughout his time at the Club and, in particular, over the past two and a half years.”

It is also understood Paqueta has taken a wage cut to help push the move through, underlining his desire to return home.

The fee for Paqueta will shatter Flamengo’s transfer record, which stands at €22m (around £19m) they paid for Samuel Lino in July.

Amid Flamengo’s heavy interest, Paqueta had been left out of the squad for West Ham’s last three fixtures.

Those matches all resulted in wins for the Hammers, as they beat Queens Park Rangers in the FA Cup as well as Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland in the Premier League.

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Tottenham and Aston Villa previously held historic interest in the 28-year-old, who was contracted to the Hammers until 2027.

Pacq-ing it in

Espirito Santo was keen for Paqueta to stay at the club beyond the winter window in his quest to avoid relegation.

West Ham currently sit in 18th spot after 23 games played and face the very real prospect of dropping down to the Championship for the first time since the 2010/11 season.

They are five points off safety ahead of clashes with Chelsea, Burnley and Manchester United.

In his fourth season at West Ham, Paqueta already matched his best goal return in the Premier League.

Paqueta had fired in four goals – the same tally he managed in each of his first three years in England.

In total, he has found the back of the net on five occasions and registered a solitary assist from 19 games in all competitions.

Only skipper Jarrod Bowen has scored more for West Ham this term.

Paqueta has been regularly linked with a West Ham exit in 2026 after he failed to secure a move away last summer.

Villa offered £47million for his services, but it wasn’t the Midlands outfit who he came closest to joining.

The 2023 Europa Conference League winner declared in November that he wanted to join Flamengo, but stayed at West Ham out of loyalty.

He stated that he wanted to show his gratitude to West Ham due to how they backed him during a Football Association investigation into spot-fixing, an allegation he was later cleared of.

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Paqueta told Brazilian outlet Globo: “The first moment was when [Marcelo] Braz [former vice president] was still at Flamengo, there was that contact.

“I know of Flamengo’s desire, and they know of my desire, my passion for the club, so it’s something that always happens.”

He continued: “As soon as I was accused, and the whole trial process was about to begin, Braz came to my house, made the offer, and asked what I thought.

“Obviously, I always want to go back to Flamengo, but at that moment I was still a bit undecided about my decision, about what I was going to do.

“Then I also talked to the West Ham director and said, ‘Braz, I want to go back, I know I’ll feel good at Flamengo, but I can’t be ungrateful to the club that’s supporting me so much.’

“They supported me a lot at all times, helped me in various situations, so I couldn’t force an exit from a place where I was being welcomed and respected.

“They respected me, my wife, my family. So I said, ‘I want you to resolve this.’ But yes, this exchange with Flamengo did happen.”

Though Paqueta did declare that he held talks with Flamengo boss Filipe Luis.

He remarked: “Maybe I shouldn’t even be saying this, but I had some conversations with Filipe [Luis], who is a friend, in addition to the work he’s doing at Flamengo.

“I really expressed my desire to return and also showed it to my agents.

“It was a difficult decision because I’m 28 years old, it’s very young, and I still have a lot of market value outside of here. I’ve been doing my job well, but it was a very strong desire.

“And I tried very hard, but unfortunately, once again, I decided to respect my club, not to force anything, because it’s a club that supported me, that I have enormous affection for.

“So I let it happen, and it really didn’t. I understood that it wasn’t the right time, but I know the doors will always be open for me.

“I know that at some point this return will happen.”