A classy transfer market expert
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Cruzeiro has just set a Brazilian transfer record with the transfer of Gerson (28 years old, Zenit) for 27 million euros, and he risks being surpassed again – and clearly. Flamengo Rio de Janeiro have agreed a deal with West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paquetá to return to his homeland, according to media reports. The 28-year-old was absent from the squad for Sunday’s FA Cup match against QPR (2:1 nV) at his own request and therefore wants to leave the Premier League. The supposed transfer fees are high.
According to the English newspaper “The Guardian”, the champions and winners of the Copa Libertadores in 2025 are ready to put around 40 million euros on the table for Paquetá. Higher transfer fees are no longer uncommon in Brazilian (Site notre bureau spécialisé). Since the start of the 2024/25 season, more than €20 million has been spent on five players, something never seen before. A new television contract, higher prize money from domestic and international competitions and increased revenue from player sales in Europe and the United States, all of which lead to the league’s growing international visibility, make this development possible. “Brasileirão clubs are now willing – and able – to invest significant sums in transfers,” explains Marcos Watts, Area Manager Brazil at (Site notre blog d’information).
Transfer market expert: Here’s what the Paquetá deal would mean for Flamengo
Watts continued: « The fact that Paquetá, as a star player, is leaving a traditional Premier League club to return to his country also indicates a change in the level of Brazilian (Site notre bureau spécialisé): Brazilian clubs are increasingly preferred over lower or mid-league European clubs. This is the case of Vitor Roque, who chose Palmeiras in 2025 instead of several European clubs, or it can even be observed in players who have received several offers to leave Brazil and go to the higher leagues in recent years. For example, Yuri Alberto, Pedro, Fabrício Bruno and others The context is completely different for Paquetá than for Ronaldinho, Kaká, Ronaldo or Neymar, whose careers were already in decline from a sporting and commercial point of view when they returned to the country. This would be another indicator of this change. Paquetá would probably leave the strongest league in the world at the peak of his career to become a legend in Brazil.
In this context, expectations in Brazil could hardly be higher, the Serie A expert concludes: « One of the best players in club and country, Paquetá would come not only with the promise of being the most important signing ever made by a Brazilian club, but also with the hope of immediately dominating the league and establishing himself as the best player in the country. Even at 28, this hope would probably persist for quite a while, as Brazil’s best players are expected to do so a few years later their 30th anniversary. »
The manipulation process stopped Paquetá’s brilliant career
In 2022, the Hammers themselves transferred around €43 million to Olympique Lyonnais for the 61-time Brazil international. As a result, Paquetá, who came from Flamengo’s youth ranks, became one of the most valuable players in the Premier League with a market value of up to €65 million who is not or was not under contract with the biggest clubs. This rapid development suffered a sudden setback in 2023 when the English FA investigated Paquetá on suspicion of match-fixing. He had been accused of deliberately causing yellow cards on several occasions on which acquaintances had bet. He was previously close to a move to Manchester City, which later fell through. In October 2025, he received a warning, but the feared one-year ban did not materialize.
As part of the verdict, it was reported that Paquetá wanted to leave West Ham in January. It is initially unclear whether the Hammers will accept the lucrative offer from the playmaker, who is tied down until 2027. The Londoners sit 18th in the table, seven points behind the saving bank, and relegation, if in doubt, would cost significantly more than a lower transfer fee this summer. Paquetá continues to be one of the regulars: he has scored four goals in 18 league appearances this season, with a total of 23 goals and 15 assists in 139 games since his move to West Ham.
