Newcastle United and Arsenal suffer £33.5m transfer blow as Lucas Paqueta's preference 'revealed'

Lucas Paqueta would prefer to join a Champions League club over Newcastle United, according to reports in France.
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The Lyon midfielder is close friends with former teammate and Newcastle United fan favourite Bruno Guimaraes. The Brazilian even flew over to Tyneside back in May to visit Guimaraes and see the sites of Newcastle – adding to the speculation regarding a potential transfer.

But The Gazette understands Newcastle’s interest in Paqueta has only been tentative this summer as Eddie Howe prioritises attacking reinforcements while managing his transfer budget.

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Lucas Paqueta of Brazil controls the ball under pressure of Wataru Endo of Japan during the international friendly match between Japan and Brazil at National Stadium on June 6, 2022 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Koji Watanabe/Getty Images)Lucas Paqueta of Brazil controls the ball under pressure of Wataru Endo of Japan during the international friendly match between Japan and Brazil at National Stadium on June 6, 2022 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Koji Watanabe/Getty Images)
Lucas Paqueta of Brazil controls the ball under pressure of Wataru Endo of Japan during the international friendly match between Japan and Brazil at National Stadium on June 6, 2022 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Koji Watanabe/Getty Images)
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Lyon’s initial asking price in excess of £50million for Paqueta made a potential transfer a non-starter for Newcastle. But the 24-year-old has recently handed in a transfer request in a bid to force through a move away from the Ligue 1 side.

And Lyon’s head of recruitment Bruno Cheyrou has fuelled speculation regarding the midfielder’s future as he commented: “We need to reduce the squad size.

"In terms of departures, we will analyse offers on a case-by-case basis but the economics will come into consideration.”

Lyon have now reportedly reduced their asking price for Paqueta to £33.5million – almost exactly the same initial fee as they accepted from Newcastle for Guimaraes back in January.

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That has alerted a number of Premier League clubs, including Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.

However, L’Equipe claim that Paqueta would turn down the chance to sign for Newcastle or Arsenal in preference of City or Spurs due to the latter two competing in the Champions League this coming season.