Lucas Paqueta finally agrees Flamengo return with West Ham star set to become most expensive player in Brazilian Serie A history

Paqueta transfer finally agreed

West Ham and Flamengo have been in Paqueta negotiations for some time over a January transfer but have now reached a deal, according to Fabrizio Romano. Flamengo will pay a record fee of €42 million ($50m) for the 28-year-old, who will return to the Brazilian side after spells in Europe with AC Milan, Lyon and West Ham. Paqueta joined the Hammers in 2022 but has been eager to return to Brazil and had been left out of recent squads by manager Nuno Espirito Santo amid the uncertainty over his future.

Flamengo's payment plan revealed

Flamengo are set to pay the hefty transfer fee in instalments so that the club still have funds available for other transfers if needed. A source close to the transfer told ESPN: "If it goes as West Ham wants, Flamengo will be taking risks. We're not going to ruin our plans. The way we want to close the deal protects us even if we have a bad year financially. We want to be sure we can pay. That's called responsibility."

The Brazilian club were initially set to pay £30m up front, with the remaining £5.5m in instalments. However, club president Luiz Eduardo Baptista has amended the schedule slightly and Flamengo will now make payments until 2028, according to Globo.

Paqueta deal smashes Brazilian transfer record

Paqueta started his career at Flamengo and now returns after eight years away. The transfer smashes the Brazilian transfer record and makes the midfielder by far the most expensive signing in the league. Cruzeiro's deal to bring in Gerson from Zenit St Petersburg was the previous record transfer for a Brazilian club at €27m, ahead of Vitor Roque's €25m return to Palmeiras from Barcelona. Paqueta is set to arrive back in Brazil shortly and could potentially be available to play again for his new club on Sunday against Corinthians in the Brazilian Super Cup final.

Will West Ham replace Paqueta?

Paqueta has been keen to move on after becoming disillusioned with life in England after being charged and then cleared of spot-fixing offences. The midfielder's wife says he had a "nightmare" time throughout the saga and spent "two years in hell."

The Brazilian has gone on to make 18 appearances for West Ham this season in the Premier League but has not featured since the start of January. Nuno told reporters before the deal was agreed he wanted the situation cleared up quickly and is hopeful of being able to strengthen the squad before the transfer window closes.

"What I hope is the situation to be solved as soon as possible," he told reporters. "Every part involved has to be solved and to be clear, so we have a direction to move forward. We have one week to go. I still believe that we need to rebalance our squad. We need options in some positions. We need to become more competitive. I still believe in the work the club is doing."

Hammers battling to beat the drop

West Ham are currently embroiled in a relegation battle but have given their hopes of survival a boost in recent weeks with wins over Tottenham and Sunderland. Yet the Hammers remain in the bottom three, five points adrift of Nottingham Forest and have some tough fixtures on the horizon. Nuno's side head to Stamford Bridge next to face Chelsea in the Premier League before a visit to fellow strugglers Burnley. After that, it's a home game against a resurgent Manchester United side led by former Hammer Michael Carrick.