West Ham transfer target Lucas Paqueta was once booked for attempting a rainbow flick

Lyon midfielder Lucas Paqueta was handed a yellow card for showing 'a lack of respect' after attempting a rainbow flick during last season's Ligue 1 clash with Troyes.

The 24-year-old attacking midfieder looks set to become the Premier League's newest recruit.

West Ham have agreed a club record £51 million deal for Paqueta, according to talkSPORT, who suggest the Brazilian is expected to pen a five-year with the Hammers following late-night negotiations on Thursday.

Paqueta, who has 33 caps to his name for Brazil, will bring plenty of attributes to David Moyes' side, including an ability to beat his man with a piece of skill.

That being said, the tricky midfielder was once caught out after being carded for an attempted rainbow flick in the latter stages of Lyon's game against Troyes.

Initially, it looked that the Troyes defender was in trouble following a potential handball but referee Stephanie Frappart gave the card to Paqueta without much explanation.

Lucas Paqueta booked for showing “a lack of respect” by attempting a rainbow flick during Lyon’s game with Troyes. Same thing happened to Neymar before. Absolute joke; how can you police a little fun? pic.twitter.com/pbBUWAEFBK

— Alan Feehely (@azulfeehely) September 23, 2021

In the aftermath of last year's incident, Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar expressed his frustration by claiming Jogo Bonito was 'finished' after the yellow card.

"This is a very sad scene," he said. "Showing a yellow card for a dribble... a technical move is a solution. It doesn't matter where on the pitch it is performed or in what minute of the game. This happened to me last season. And this season it's Paquetá.

"Honestly, I don't understand the reasoning. The famous Jogo Bonito is finished. Enjoy it while you can."

Neymar Jr. on Lucas Paqueta getting booked for attempting a rainbow flick 🗣

Should players get booked for attempting tricks like these? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/6lDtltDGqP

— International Champions Cup (@IntChampionsCup) September 23, 2021

As Neymar mentions in the above comments, he himself was booked for showboating in PSG's 5-0 thrashing of Montpellier in 2020.

The Brazilian forward received the ball from a throw-in and was closed down by two players near the corner flag.

He then attempted to pull off a rainbow flick over the head of one of the players, only for the ball to bounce out of play from the rebound.

Neymar continued his showboating but afterwards, referee Jerome Brisard booked Neymar for unsporting behaviour.

Neymar Jr to the referee - “I am playing football” 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/l5AdmVCgp1

— Seleção Brasil 🇧🇷 (@Brazil_TeamNews) February 2, 2020