Lucas Paqueta sensationally reveals transfer interest from two Premier League giants as he completes £36m Flamengo return from West Ham

Despite being one of West Ham's top scorers this season, Paqueta made it clear he was pining for a Flamengo move for some time. The Brazil international, who netted four Premier League goals this term for the relegation-threatened Hammers, spoke about returning to his boyhood club a few months ago, and now it seems he may have manifested the move to the Rio de Janeiro outfit.

Months after being cleared of spot-fixing charges, Paqueta said in November: "The first moment (Flamengo tried to sign Paqueta) was when (Marcos) Braz was still at Flamengo (as vice president), there was that contact. I know of Flamengo's desire, and they know of my desire, my passion for the club, so it's something that always happens. As soon as I was accused, and the whole trial process was about to begin, Braz came to my house, made the offer, and asked what I thought. Obviously, I always want to go back to Flamengo, but at that moment, I was still a bit undecided about my decision, about what I was going to do. Then I also talked to the West Ham director and said: 'Braz, I want to go back, I know I'll feel good at Flamengo, but I can't be ungrateful to the club that's supporting me so much. They supported me a lot at all times, helped me in various situations, so I couldn't force an exit from a place where I was being welcomed and respected. They respected me, my wife, my family. So I said: 'I want you to resolve this.' But yes, this exchange with Flamengo did happen."

Just before the Paqueta move was officially confirmed, the former Lyon man admitted this may have been a case of unrequited love. While Flamengo did want to bring him home, Paqueta may have "needed" them more.

He said on Thursday: "Maybe Flamengo didn't need me, but I needed Flamengo. I'm very happy to see all the affection, because I feel very identified. I'm one of you (fans) on the pitch, and I can promise you that won't change. My heart is red-black, and I will demonstrate that on the field. Huge happiness to be back. I dreamed a lot about this moment. All I want is to enjoy this joy of finally being home. I want to be happy, give joy to the Nation and give my best - I continue."

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Paqueta was seemingly on the brink of moving to Manchester City for £85 million ($116m) in 2023 but a Football Association investigation into alleged betting breaches quickly ended that possibility. They have subsequently been linked with him again but that transfer will never come to pass. Now, though, the ex-AC Milan player has claimed that Chelsea and Tottenham enquired about him, but he only wanted Flamengo. 

He said on Flamengo TV: "Tottenham called, Chelsea called, and the funny thing is that Tata (his agent) called all excited and said: 'Chelsea's calling, they're gonna make an offer.' I replied: 'Okay, but what about Flamengo?' He said: 'Are you serious?' I said: 'Yeah, I don't care about that. I want to hear about Flamengo,' and that's how it all turned out."

Paqueta joined West Ham from Lyon in August 2022 for a fee around £50m ($68.5m) and went on to score 23 times, add 15 assists, make 139 appearances, and help the club win the inaugural Conference League in 2023. But it seems the east London team have not been too enamoured by his exit, especially as Paqueta didn't play in their most recent matches, going by their farewell statement.

It reads: "West Ham United can confirm that Lucas Paqueta has joined Brazilian club Flamengo on a permanent transfer for an undisclosed fee. Paqueta joined the Hammers in August 2022 and spent three-and-a-half seasons in east London, making 139 appearances and scoring 23 goals. The Brazil international midfielder provided the assist for Jarrod Bowen to score West Ham’s winning goal in the 2023 UEFA Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina in Prague. Everyone at the Club would like to thank Lucas for his contribution and wish him well in his future career."

This move seems to have been motivated by the heart. As Gandalf said in The Lord of the Rings, "All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you." It seems Paqueta is doing just that.