- Former Premier League player wanted City move
- Deal was almost completed three years ago
- Now he plays his football in another continent
One former Premier League player’s wife has spoken about the disappointment he faced after an anticipated move to Manchester City collapsed in 2023.
Man City signed Kalvin Phillips in 2022, but the midfielder struggled to get going at the Etihad Stadium, and was loaned out a couple of years later.
In 2023, City attempted to sign Declan Rice, a player they had considered the summer before. However, Arsenal won the race for his signature.
But in that same transfer window, the Citizens almost managed to sign Lucas Paqueta from West Ham.
An £80m deal had been agreed, but unfortunately it was called off due to the FA beginning an investigation over alleged betting breaches.
The Brazilian was later cleared of these charges, but it was too late for him to pursue a move to the team who would go on to win the Premier League that season.
Lucas Paqueta’s wife addresses his failed move
Paqueta only joined West Ham in 2022, but he was very keen to make the move to Man City a year later.
This has been confirmed by his wife Duda Fournier, who has revealed that it was her husband’s ‘dream’ to wear the iconic sky blue jersey.
“He lost the chance to go to his dream team, his dream was to play for Man City. That stirred his head a lot,” she told Portal Leodias.
“People may have a sense of how bad it was, but Lucas and I always say no one will know what we went through, no one will ever understand.
“Not even closest people can have a dimension of what we felt.”
Man City transfer could have been career changing for Paqueta
Had Paqueta been able to make the move to Man City, he would have a collection of medals to behold and admire.
Instead, the midfielder remained at West Ham, and eventually he exited the London club to join Flamengo in January.
Interestingly, he rejected interest from Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea to join his boyhood team, despite being only 28 years old.
This may have been the player’s choice, but things would likely be different for him now if he had been able to play for City.
The Citizens are on the hunt again for a midfielder
Fast forward a few years from when Paqueta nearly signed for Man City, and the club are once again looking to sign a midfielder.
Bernardo Silva has departed after a nine-year spell, which means finding someone to operate in the centre of the pitch is essential.
Man City have launched a bid for Elliot Anderson, but it has been rejected by Nottingham Forest, who want a fee upwards of £100m.
Having missed out on both Rice and Paqueta, City will be keen to avoid suffering the same fate this time around with Anderson.
