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By SIMON JONES Published: 03: 54 AEDT, 16 January 2026 | Updated: 05: 45 AEDT, 16 January 2026 7 View comments West Ham will sell Lucas Paqueta this month if the deal includes an agreement for Flamengo to loan the midfielder back for the rest of the season. Talks are expected to continue over the next 24 hours and continue to loom over Nuno Espirito Santo's preparations for tomorrow's crunch clash with Tottenham. 'I think it's a situation that we have to solve, all of us at the club have to solve, ' said the Portuguese coach. 'We always want our best players to be involved and Lucas is one of our best players, so let's try to solve the situation. 'It's a solution that we have to find. Us as a club, the player, myself. 'My job is to prepare the team and to prepare the team with the best players that we have. Lucas is one of the best players. My job is to try and take the best out of all of them. ' West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta has his eye on a move back to his native Brazil this month Your browser does not support iframes. Paqueta has made it clear he wants to return to Brazil and is understood to have a four-year contract on the table from Flamengo. They had an opening bid of £30. 3m rejected for the Brazilian and are prepared to raise their offer to around £35m. Flamengo are not so keen to loan him back, reasoning that they can wait and buy him more cheaply in the summer. Paqueta returned to training on Wednesday after missing last weekend’s FA Cup victory over Queens Park Rangers. The West Ham players were given Monday and Tuesday off with Paqueta not taking a full part in training because he is suffering from a back problem. However, he is still viewed as key to their hopes of Premier League survival and there is a sense he should show greater loyalty after the club supported him while he was cleared of alleged breaches of the Football Association’s betting regulations last year. Meanwhile, Coventry City's highly rated centre back Bobby Thomas is the latest to be discussed by West Ham. The 6ft 4ins former Burnley trainee, 24, has been a stand-out performer this season under Frank Lampard. West Ham have also discussed Sporting Braga’s Bright Arrey-Mbi, who used to be on Chelsea’s books, and Newcastle United's Jamaal Lascelles among several others. Toulouse defender Charlie Cresswell, long admired by the Hammers, is wanted by Wolfsburg who have offered £15. 6m. West Ham have also expressed interest in signing Chelsea keeper Filip Jorgensen, who has wishes to move this window.
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