West Ham United have given Brazil midfielder Lucas Paquetá permission to undergo a medical examination and discuss personal terms with Flamengo ahead of the World Cup.
Paquetá’s turbulent spell at the Premier League club is close to coming to an end, with sources telling ESPN that Flamengo are set to pay a for a fixed fee of £35.8m ($49.4m), with no performance-related bonuses included in the deal.
West Ham wanted the 28-year-old Paquetá to stay until the end of the season to help the club’s battle to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
He was the subject of a lengthy Football Association investigation into alleged breaches of gambling rules which only ended last year when he was cleared.
“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,” West Ham said in a statement.
“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.”
ESPN reported that West Ham have accepted to receive Paquetá’s transfer fee in 24 monthly instalments but are waiting for Flamengo to agree on the best way to divide the number of payments.
Sources have told ESPN that the Brazilian club is working on finalising a payment method that will not compromise the club’s budget for the coming months.
Initially, Flamengo planned to pay £30m upfront, approximately 85% of the total transfer fee, with the remaining £5.5m paid in instalments.
However, Flamengo president Luiz Eduardo Baptista is now considering a longer payment plan for Paquetá’s transfer so that his club can have funds to sign more reinforcements throughout the season.
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Paquetá, who has 18 months left on his contract with the London club, wants to return to Brazil this month. He has already agreed personal terms with his boyhood club Flamengo until December 2029.
The Brazil international, who joined the east London club in the summer of 2022 from Lyon, has four goals and one assist in 18 Premier League appearances this season.
Amid negotiations with Flamengo, Paquetá, 28, has been left out of West Ham’s matchday squads since Jan. 6.
Information from ESPN’s Pedro Ivo Almeida and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
