Lyon have rejected a bid from Newcastle United for Lucas Paqueta.
That is the claim made by French outlet Le10 Sport.
It was recently reported that Paqueta had actually turned down a huge wage offer from the Magpies.
Le10 sport back those claims, and add that the Premier League strugglers actually saw a bid of £34 million rejected by Lyon.
Paqueta has been with the French side since September 2020 when he joined from AC Milan.
The Brazilian attacking midfielder has made a decent start to life in France, bagging 17 goals and making 10 assists in 55 appearances for the club.
Apparently, Newcastle were ready to up their offer for the South American.
But it seems 28-cap Brazil international Paqueta simply doesn’t want the move. He is happy where he is right now.
That is despite Newcastle allegedly offering 2.5x his current wages.
Newcastle are in a position whereby they desperately need to add quality to their squad.
Defensive reinforcements will likely be the priority given the club’s awful record in the Premier League so far this season.
But realistically, Eddie Howe also needs another attacking midfielder and another striker.
Lucas Paqueta would have been a risk for Newcastle anyway
Paqueta is a talented player, but he is surely not the kind of player Newcastle should be going for.
Just because there are would be fewer guarantees with him. He doesn’t have any Premier League experience, which is not so ideal.
Newcastle must get their recruitment right next month. Failure to do so could result in relegation to the Championship.
Surely players that are slightly older and more proven should be the main focus.
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