€70m West Ham United star man set for exit as several other key players set to leave London Stadium

Since signing with new agents [Fabrizio Romano, 2 April] after his previous representation broke off the relationship just over a month earlier [Fabrizio Romano, 28 February], the £35.5 million [Sky Sports] Italian striker has been heavily linked to a return to Serie A, with Roma at the front of the queue.

His Brazilian teammate and club record £51 million signing from the same window [Sky Sports] has now shifted to new representation from his own country, just as £100 million-plus captain Declan Rice is about to go.

Claret & Hugh write that “various” teams are interested in the 25-year-old Paqueta, following Fichajes.net’s story on 21 June that Newcastle were willing to pay €70 million [£60 million] for him.

 

“Given that Scamacca has been absent from the Irons side almost since the time he changed agents, there are fears that the pair of them may be looking towards the Hammers exit door,” according to the most recent update.

It wouldn’t be a good look to lose both of your main attacking acquisitions after only one season, and when your outright star Rice ultimately leaves, it will create major holes to fill, especially with Thomas Soucek on the market.

However, there has been speculation that Scamacca isn’t actually leaving, so given that there hasn’t been nearly as much focus on a Paqueta exit, the agent change may be meaningless.

Players frequently switch while looking for a new contract or a move, but one does not always follow the other.

West Ham will not be moving either player unless they accept a proposal, and the same is true for Rice for the time being, as Arsenal learned.

David Moyes will have plenty of work to do in the market this summer, and while Paqueta had a shaky start to life at the London Stadium, he became more important as the season progressed, and it was his assist that set Jarrod Bowen free to score the winner in the Europa Conference League final.

So the manager undoubtedly does not want to lose him this summer, but it is impossible to know whether the new move is merely smoke or fire.