£43m West Ham star set to quit club if Hammers are relegated

Lucas Paqueta is expected to quit West Ham if the Hammers fail in their bid to remain in the Premier League.

That’s according to a recent report from Football Insider, who claim the Brazilian midfielder is unlikely to stick around if the Londoners find themselves relegated to the Championship.

Paqueta, 25, only joined David Moyes’ side from Lyon last summer, and although tipped to help reinvent the Londoners’ playing style, the South American has so far been relatively ineffective. Scoring just twice and providing as many assists, the former Lyon star, who signed for £43m, will undoubtedly need to do more if the Hammers are to beat the drop.

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However, despite the player’s agent remaining adamant that Paqueta’s only focus is to help his side retain their top-flight status, failure to remain in England’s top division is expected to see the 25-year-old quit the club.

How he could get out of his contract remains a mystery though. The Brazil international signed a five-year deal with West Ham also including the option to add another year, so in order to leave the Londoners at least four years ahead of time, you would think he has to have some sort of get-out clause also included in his deal.

West Ham currently sit 18th in the table on just 24 points, and although Moyes is one of the country’s most experienced managers, the Scotsman’s biggest worry will come from the fact his side still needs to play top-four hopefuls Liverpool and Newcastle, as well as leaders Arsenal.