3 reasons why Arsenal should avoid signing Lucas Paqueta

Arsenal are thought to be interested in signing Lucas Paqueta from Lyon, with the 24-year-old believed to be keen on a move away this summer. But do the Gunners really need him?

Another day and another name that has come from absolutely nowhere. One thing Mikel Arteta and Edu have done extremely well is keeping their transfer interests virtually undetected from every journalist and media outlet.

Aside from Gabriel Jesus, every other player (Fabio Vieira, case in point) that has been on Arsenal’s radar has come from nowhere. Lucas Paqueta is the latest, with the midfielder reportedly wanting out of Lyon after rejecting contract talks back in January. But do Arsenal need him?

3 reasons why Arsenal should stay away from Lucas Paqueta

Here is why Arsenal should avoid the 24-year-old.

Price tag

Ben Jacobs of CBS Sports reports that Lyon would be asking for €65m plus add-ons for the midfielder. Club president Jean-Michel Aulas stated back in January that €80 million was the going price, although it is widely thought that the price will not be that high.

Still, €65m is a serious amount of money for a player when they could sign Leicester’s Youri Tielemans for almost a third of the price.

Given that inflation in the market is unavoidable, Arsenal could be well versed in saying thanks but no thanks for the Brazilian midfielder. While just 24 years old, Paqueta is commanding a serious fee from Lyon, and it is clear that the club wants to get as much money as they can for the midfielder.

Just how deep the pockets of Stan Kroenke are this summer remains to be seen. But given that Fabio Vieira (€35m) and Gabriel Jesus (€52.2m) already signify a big chunk of the transfer budget, adding another €65m for one player would be a serious reach, especially given that the money could be better spent elsewhere.

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