Big twist as £42 million West Ham star wants return to former club because he loves their fans

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A West Ham United player is said to be very keen to return to one of his former clubs in the summer.

West Ham are expected to be very busy in the transfer market this summer, with Graham Potter said to be plotting a big squad overhaul.

However, getting rid of some of the deadwood will be just as important as bringing in some new signings to the London Stadium.

Funds are tight at West Ham right now, so the Hammers may even have to sell one of our marquee players, in order to fund Potter’s spending spree.

• Read also: £4 million man has literally just saved his West Ham career

That will obviously be hard to swallow, because nobody wants to lose their best players.

However, it may well be a necessary evil.

And one man in particular seems to be pushing to join one of his former clubs.

West Ham star Lucas Paqueta wants return to former club

Lucas Paqueta has endured a tumultuous time with West Ham since joining the club in the summer of 2022.

The Hammers paid £42 million to prise him away from Lyon two-and-a-half years ago.

However, things haven’t worked out as we all thought they would for the Brazilian in East London.

He is currently facing four separate charges for allegedly breaching betting rules by purposely picking up yellow cards.

There are said to be fears amongst the Hammers hierarchy that Paqueta could be handed a lifetime ban if found guilty.

It would obviously be a disaster for Paqueta and West Ham if that turned out to be the case.

The betting probe rumbling on in the background for 18 months now has been a huge distraction for him and the club as well.

However, he might not be a Hammers player for too much longer, because Brazilian website TV Foco are reporting that Paqueta is actually keen to return to Flamengo, because he has so much love for their fans.

Why are the Brazilian media panicking about Lucas Paqueta?

The Hammers star is currently out injured, following an innocuous challenge from Aaron Wan-Bissaka during training.

And that may well have huge ramifications for the Brazil national team.

Paqueta’s team face a huge World Cup qualifying double header against Colombia and Argentina next month.

Brazil are currently sitting fifth in the rankings, only five points clear of seventh placed Bolivia. That’s concerning for Dorival Junior and his players because only the top six teams qualify automatically for the 2026 World Cup.

Failure to beat either Colombia or Argentina really would put their place at the World Cup next year under real threat.

And the Brazilian media are in panic mode as a result – such is Paqueta’s importance to the team.

In fairness, that proves just how key he should be to the Hammers as well.

That said, I do believe West Ham could find a player better suited to Potter’s system than Lucas Paqueta, if we are able to sell him for a decent fee of course.

Anything more than £30 million and I believe the Hammers should wave goodbye to the South American this summer.