Article by Mihai Șovei – Published Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 4:49 p.m. / Updated Wednesday, January 28, 2026 4:50 p.m.
Flamengo is close to completing his comeback Lucas Paqueta (28 years old), which would become the most expensive purchase in the history of a Brazilian club, 42 million euros. He also played for the team between 2016 and 2019.
After several weeks of negotiations, the Brazilian club, led by Filipe Luis, reached an agreement with West Ham, the team of Nuno Espirito Santo, for the transfer of the midfielder, who will sign a four-year contract.
Lucas Paqueta returns to Flamengo
The deal would have been done for 42 million euros, an amount that Flamengo will pay in installments until 2028. West Ham had already accepted an initial offer of 41.25 million euros, but disagreements over payment arrangements led the Brazilian club to slightly increase the amount to complete the deal, according to Globosporte.
Trained at the team in Brazil, Lucas Paqueta made his debut in Flamengo's first team in 2016, establishing himself as a starter the following year. In January 2019, he moved to Europe where he played for AC Milan in Italy and Lyon in France before joining West Ham in 2022.
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This transfer represents a historic moment, being the most expensive in the history of a Brazilian club, surpassing that of Gerson at Cruzeiro (27 million euros). During the January transfer window, Flamengo, which has Josr Boto as football director, had already secured the services of defender Vitao, formerly at Internacional, and goalkeeper Andrew, who played at Gil Vicente, according to abola.pt.
The most expensive transfers in the history of the Brazilian championship. Paqueta would rank first. / photo: Super Score
Paqueta, who has 18 months left on his contract with the London club, is determined to return to his native country. The Brazil international, who joined the east London club in the summer of 2022 from Lyon, has four goals and one assist in 18 Premier League appearances this season.
Lucas Paqueta returns to Flamengo / Imago Images
