West Ham star Lucas Paqueta has been withdrawn from the Brazil squad as a result of an investigation into alleged betting breaches, as reported by Sky Sports News.
The broadcaster reported online (19 August) that the 25-year-old is set to miss World Cup qualifiers against Peru and Bolivia, which will take place in September.
“Paqueta was on the list. He’s a player I like a lot. It’s a time for him to resolve these issues. People need time to sort out these issues. He’s a player I love,” said Fernando Diniz, the Brazil interim head coach, in quotes reported by Sky Sports News (19 August).
West Ham’s attacking midfielder has denied making any bets himself and is willing to cooperate in any way.
An £80million deal for Paqueta to move to Manchester City was close to agreement and could still go ahead if the situation is resolved quickly.
It seemed as if Paqueta was all set to head north and join up with the current Premier League champions and last year’s treble winners. After it was confirmed that Kevin De Bruyne would spend an extended spell on the sidelines, a deal for the West Ham star almost seemed inevitable.
Pep Guardiola is in need of an attack-minded midfielder and this seemed like the perfect solution, with the club preparing to flex their financial muscle. Therefore, when the deal suddenly broke down, many would have been left feeling confused as to why this happened.
When the FA investigation came out, that cleared up the reason the move was off. For now, it seems as if only time will tell what comes of this, but Brazil will be frustrated that they will be without such an influential player.
Paqueta has nine goals in 42 appearances for his nation and will be hoping to return to action for them sooner rather than later.
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