Manchester City pulls out of long-awaited transfer. What's going on?
During the summer transfer window, Manchester City has been actively reshaping its squad, and it would make sense to revisit some of their previous targets that the club had pursued relentlessly a few years ago. But not all of those pursuits will come to fruition.
Details: According to former scout Mick Brown, one such case is West Ham midfielder Lucas Paquetá, who was recently cleared of accusations regarding deliberate yellow card offenses. Manchester City showed strong interest in the Brazilian two years ago, but the deal never materialized, and there’s no guarantee it will happen now.
Quote: "City were absolutely obsessed with this transfer a couple of years ago. The fee had already been agreed and everything was set for the deal until the Football Association stepped in. Since then, Paquetá is no longer the player they wanted to buy. Over the last couple of seasons, all this pressure has weighed on him, and his performances have dipped.
Guardiola has made it clear he wants to trim the squad before the season starts. And City still haven’t sold the players they intended to. So, there’s simply no room for Paquetá. Yes, Guardiola is a fan of his, and that could influence things, but I’d say the transfer is unlikely," Brown told Football Insider.
Liam Garcia
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