Reportedly, City is in talks to negotiate a deal for Brazilian midfielder Paqueta with the Hammers, despite previously pulling out of the deal in the summer. City had initially committed to paying £85million before an investigation into alleged betting breaches. Pep Guardiola is still interested in adding Paqueta to the squad, even after signing Wolves midfielder Matheus Nunes for £53million. City is waiting for the results of the investigation before moving forward with their attempt to acquire Paqueta.
In addition to this, it’s been reported that Guardiola sees Paqueta as a potential long-term replacement for Kevin de Bruyne, who has spent most of the season sidelined with an injury. Guardiola is open to the possibility of offloading de Bruyne if his injury troubles continue, with significant interest from Saudi Arabian team Al-Nassr, who may be willing to pay £60m for the midfielder, whose contract expires in 2025. This could potentially see de Bruyne join forces with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr.