Lyon midfielder Lucas Paquetá has refused a ‘golden bridge’ offer presented to him by Newcastle United.
That’s according to Foot Mercato, who say the Brazilian midfielder has rejected an ‘astronomical salary’ to make the move to St James Park.
The website reports that with the winter market approaching, the focus at Lyon will soon turn to transfer dealings and attempts from ‘clubs in need’.
Newcastle are one of those clubs, with it believed they will spend heavily in the January transfer window to bolster their squad in an attempt to avoid relegation.
They have near unlimited funds to make this happen, and according to FM’s info, one of their ‘targets’ was Lyon ‘metronome’ Paquetá.
The Magpies reportedly approached the Brazilian and were willing to do ‘crazy things’ to secure his signature, offering a salary of €850,000 per month, more than €10m per year, on a deal that would run until 2025.
The offer was ‘rejected’ outright by Paquetá, though, as he actually feels good in Lyon and would like to remain there for the time being.
If he were to leave, he would prefer to do so for a more ‘prestigious’ club than Lyon, something Newcastle, who are firmly in a relegation battle, certainly are not.
It seems then that money is not always the answer, something Eddie Howe and co might discover as soon as January rolls around.
