West Ham United have finally received a formal offer for Lucas Paquetá.
It took an extra day, but as anticipated in Brazil, Flamengo now formally submitted their proposal. According to Globo Esporte, the bid stands at £29.9m (€35m) guaranteed, plus £4.3m (€5m) in bonuses.
If the full package is triggered, the deal would already rank as the most expensive signing ever made by a Brazilian club. Still it is a step below West Ham’s latest asking price, but it moves the negotiations from talk to paperwork.
The story says West Ham had already outlined their preferred terms last week. Brazilian reports say those discussions pointed to a valuation closer to £38.5m (€45m). The numbers do not yet align, but there is optimism inside Flamengo that an agreement remains possible.
Several meetings over recent days helped set the scene. Flamengo waited to formalise the offer until president Luiz Eduardo Baptista returned to Brazil. A meeting on Tuesday with Baptista, football director José Boto and head coach Filipe Luís settled the final internal details. And Boto himself said to be optimistic about the outcome.
Attention now turns to timing. Flamengo want Paquetá released in January. West Ham would rather keep him until May, when the Premier League season ends. That remains a key sticking point.
Paquetá’s position continues to matter. Brazilian outlets say he has made his desire to return clear and has even turned down other European approaches. West Ham still hold control and Nuno Espírito Santo “is not ignoring him”, but with the offer now submitted, the next move belongs to them.
