Manchester City eyeing player as replacement for star – ‘Likely candidates’ for move, ‘most advanced’ of suitors

Manchester City are considering a move for Lyon’s Lucas Paqueta should they lose Bernardo Silva this summer.

That’s according to L’Equipe, who say the 24-year-old is an option should the Portugal international make an unexpected departure.

They explain that while Paqueta does not want to leave and Lyon will not accept any old price for him, with Jean-Michel Aulas planning to bring in a club record sale, he could still depart.

That’s because Manchester City are eyeing him up, with them one of the ‘likely candidates’ to move for him.

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They are the ‘most advanced’ of any of the interested parties, with it stated that Pep Guardiola has put the midfielder at the top of his list of potential replacements for Bernardo Silva.

The Portuguese midfielder is under contract until 2025 but has been keen to leave since last summer and Jorge Mendes is working to find him a way out of the Etihad.

Should he be successful, and Manchester City not stand in his way, then Guardiola and co would move for Paqueta to replace him. Any move for the Brazilian, though, is entirely dependent on Silva departing.

That is ‘far from certain’ so there is nothing planned in regards to the Lyon star, but he is a name to keep an eye on if things should pick up around Silva in the coming weeks.