Lucas Paquetá turned down approaches from Tottenham and Chelsea to sign with Flamengo.
Lucas Paquetá has revealed that he turned down approaches from Premier League clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea prior to his move to Flamengo in his home country of Brazil.
Paquetá finalized his transfer to Flamengo on Thursday for £35.8 million ($49.4m), setting a record as the most expensive player ever acquired by a Brazilian club.
The 28-year-old, who had 18 months left on his contract with West Ham United, shared with Flamengo TV that two of his former club’s London rivals expressed interest — but his preference was firmly with Flamengo.
“Tottenham reached out, Chelsea reached out, and amusingly, Tata (his agent) called all enthusiastic and said: ‘Chelsea’s calling, they’re going to make an offer.’
“I responded: ‘Alright, but what about Flamengo?’ He replied: ‘Are you serious?’
“I said: ‘Yes, I don’t want to discuss that. I want to talk about Flamengo,’ and that’s how it unfolded.”
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West Ham had hoped Paquetá would remain until the season’s conclusion to assist the club’s efforts to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Nonetheless, Paquetá had expressed a desire to return to Brazil ahead of the World Cup.
