Manchester City are reportedly ready to use Jack Grealish as a makeweight in a stunning swap deal for a Premier League star.
After a disappointing 24/25 campaign, City have been working around the clock to improve Pep Guardiola's squad.
So far this summer, City have already signed the likes of Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rayan Cherki, James Trafford, Sverre Nypan and Marcus Bettinelli.
Meanwhile, players such as Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Yan Couto and Maximo Perrone have all departed the Etihad Stadium.
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As the new season fast approaches, City star Grealish continues to be linked with a move away from the club.
Recently, the 29-year-old has been linked with a move to Everton, who are looking to strike a loan deal with City.
Now, it has been claimed that City could use Grealish as a makeweight in their bid to try and sign West Ham United star Lucas Paqueta.
According to Sport Witness, Brazilian journalist Jorge Nicola stated that City are 'determined to sign the West Ham midfielder'.
It has been suggested that they are discussing 'a new formula' to get a deal done instead of paying West Ham's asking price of £50 million.
Nicola claimed that City could offer a lower fee plus Grealish to tempt the Hammers into selling.
Paqueta, 27, was first linked with a move to City back in the summer of 2023.
However, the move collapsed due to the Brazilian being the subject of an investigation into alleged betting breaches.
The BBC stated that Paqueta was charged for allegedly getting booked deliberately "for the improper purpose of affecting the betting market".
Four charges were put against him relating to a Premier League match between West Ham and Leicester City on 12 November 2022, as well as 2023 fixtures against Aston Villa on 12 March, Leeds United on 21 May and Bournemouth on 12 August.
In addition, Paqueta was also charged with two counts of 'failing to co-operate with the investigation after breaching "FA Rule F3 in respect of alleged failures to comply pursuant to FA Rule F2", which relates to providing information and documents'.
Lucas Paqueta breaks silence after being cleared of spot-fixing charges
Paqueta had always denied the charges, and he was cleared last week.
Reacting to the news, the 27-year-old said: "Since the first day of this investigation, I have maintained my innocence against these extremely serious accusations.
"I can't say anything more at this time, but I would like to express how grateful I am to God and how eager I am to return to playing football with a smile on my face.
"To my wife who never let go of my hand, to West Ham United, to the fans who always cheered me on, and to my family, friends and the legal team who have supported me - thank you for everything."
Topics: Manchester City, Jack Grealish, West Ham, Football
Marcus Chan