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Arsenal are reportedly planning to make an offer for Olympique Lyonnais attacking midfielder Lucas Paqueta…
THE LOWDOWN: NEWCASTLE INTEREST
According to French outlet Le10Sport, Newcastle saw a £34million bid for Paqueta rejected last year following the takeover at St James’ Park.
Paqueta’s future is uncertain, with sources indicating that he’s told manager Peter Bosz that he’ll make his decision this month.
The attacking midfielder only joined Lyon in September 2020, making an £18m switch from Serie A giants AC Milan.
His £49k-per-week contract at the Groupama Stadium runs for another three-and-a-half years, while the 24-year-old has also racked up 28 caps for Brazil, having made his senior debut in September 2018.
With the Magpies still interested, Arsenal are also believed to be in the frame for his signature.
THE LATEST: PLANNING OFFER
According to Italian-based Turkish transfer journalist Ekrem Konur, the Gunners are readying an offer to sign the Brazilian superstar this summer.
THE VERDICT: BOOST
Paqueta has proven to be of the most highly-rated talents in Ligue 1 and in Europe, already making 31 appearances for Brazil, becoming a key figure in the team.
A potential move for the £31.5m-rated maestro could prove a welcome boost to the Gunners attacking weaponry for next season.
He enjoyed a fine season in France as he started 35 of Lyon’s 38 Ligue 1 outings. The midfielder averaged a superb SofaScore rating of 7.13 across those games as he impressed throughout the campaign, delivering brilliant displays on a regular basis.
Talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbed him a “joy to watch” and his statistics in 2021/22 back that up. Paqueta proved that he can make a big impact in the final third as he scored nine goals and produced six assists for Les Gones.
In terms of his creativity, he handed his teammates nine ‘big chances’ and created 1.2 chances per game over the course of the season. This shows that he has the quality to unlock defences from a central midfield position, which will surely benefit the likes of Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka and one of Mikel Arteta’s striker targets.
Also, the Brazilian magician, once dubbed a “big talent” by BBC Sport pundit Clinton Morrison, could also provide healthy competition to Martin Odegaard raising the performance levels of both players, providing Arteta with the stunning weaponry to challenge the best in the English top flight.
The 24-year-old also made 2.2 tackles and interceptions and won 7.3 duels per game. He is willing to get stuck in and can have an impact at both ends of the pitch from midfield, which is why fans will love the claim that KSE are plotting a move to bring him to the Emirates.
AND in other news, Arsenal eyeing up a move for “deadly” 21-goal French hitman, cheap deal for KSE – opinion…
