18 August 2023 , 16:28
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West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta is allegedly being investigated by the FA for potential betting breaches after his move to Manchester City broke down.
On Friday morning, it emerged that talks between the Premier League champions and the Brazilian had collapsed, after City's initial £70m offer was rejected. 'Confidential' issues were blamed on the breakdown, amid the Hammers demanding £85m for the player pivotal to their Europa Conference League win last season.
City had stepped up their interest in the player following a long-term injury to Kevin De Bruyne. Pep Guardiola, who faces up to four months without the Belgian star, had targeted Paqueta as the man to fill the void, and the club ramped up their efforts to complete a deal following their Super Cup win over Sevilla on Wednesday night.
But now the has reported that Paqueta, 25, is now the subject of an FA investigation over allegations of betting on football. Mirror Football contacted the FA, who declined to comment on the situation. West Ham have also been contacted.
Sky Sports reports the investigation is believed to centre around bets placed on matches in Brazil and claim that Paqueta insists the bets were not placed by him.
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The development is undoubtedly a major concern for Moyes and co, who have already lost key midfielder Declan Rice in a £105m move to Arsenal this summer. It could also a deny them a sizeable windfall if City did have intentions to follow up their interest.
It follows Brentford striker Ivan Toney being banned from football for eight months, after he admitted to 232 breaches of the FA's betting rules.