West Ham United have granted Brazil midfielder Lucas Paquetá the opportunity to undergo a medical assessment and negotiate personal terms with Flamengo in advance of the World Cup.
Paquetá’s challenging tenure at the Premier League side is nearing its conclusion, with sources informing ESPN that Flamengo is prepared to pay a fixed fee of £35.8m ($49.4m), excluding any performance-related incentives in the agreement.
West Ham had hoped the 28-year-old Paquetá would remain until the season’s conclusion to assist the club’s efforts to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
He was the focus of an extensive Football Association inquiry regarding alleged violations of gambling regulations, which concluded last year when he was exonerated.
“Lucas has expressed that, for personal and familial reasons, he desires to return to Brazil and embark on a new chapter after being cleared in July 2025 of FA misconduct allegations that took two years to resolve — a situation that caused him considerable mental distress,” West Ham stated in a release.
“Despite the club’s extensive efforts to convince Lucas to remain, he has consistently maintained that his intention is to depart. Consequently, the head coach and the club have reluctantly consented to his transfer request.”
ESPN reported that West Ham has agreed to receive Paquetá’s transfer fee in 24 monthly payments but is awaiting Flamengo’s agreement on the optimal method for distributing the payments.
Sources have indicated to ESPN that the Brazilian club is working on finalizing a payment structure that will not jeopardize the club’s financial plans for the upcoming months.
Initially, Flamengo intended to pay £30m upfront, which is about 85% of the total transfer fee, with the remaining £5.5m to be paid in installments.
However, Flamengo president Luiz Eduardo Baptista is now contemplating a more extended payment arrangement for Paquetá’s transfer to ensure that his club has the resources to acquire additional reinforcements throughout the season.
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Paquetá, who has 18 months remaining on his contract with the London club, aims to return to Brazil this month. He has already reached an agreement on personal terms with his childhood club Flamengo until December 2029.
The Brazil international, who joined the east London team in the summer of 2022 from Lyon, has recorded four goals and one assist in 18 Premier League appearances this season.
During the negotiations with Flamengo, Paquetá, 28, has been excluded from West Ham’s matchday squads since January 6.
Information from ESPN’s Pedro Ivo Almeida and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
