- Igor Jesus has scored five goals in the Brazilian Serie A since return from the UAE
- Botafogo’s owner is a fan of Paqueta and would sanction move for West Ham star
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West Ham reportedly want to sign Botafogo’s £30million-rated striker Igor Jesus in a move that could see Lucas Paqueta return to Brazil.
Jesus has scored five goals in the Brazilian Serie A this year after returning from a four-year spell in the United Arab Emirates.
The 23-year-old earned a call-up to the national team for the first time last month and featured against Chile and Peru.
Botafogo, despite signing the striker earlier this year, will sell if the right offer comes in, with West Ham keen to bolster their forward line according to The Sun.
The club’s owner John Textor is said to be a fan of Hammers attacker Paqueta, whose move to Manchester City fell through last year amid a betting probe.
West Ham want to sign Botafogo’s £30million-rated striker Igor Jesus, according to reports
Botafogo’s owner is a fan of Lucas Paqueta and would sanction a move for the West Ham star
The 27-year-old was charged with spot-fixing in May and is accused of being deliberately booked in four games between 2022 and 2023.
Paqueta has been overshadowed by the allegations since they were first made before the start of last season.
He had emerged as one of West Ham’s key stars on their way to Conference League glory in 2023, and had been widely linked with a move to Manchester City with Pep Guardiola thought to be keen.
However, once the story of Paqueta’s betting probe back in August 2023 emerged, broken exclusively by Mail Sport, his prospective £85million move collapsed.
If found guilty, Paqueta could face a lifetime ban. The Brazilian, who denies any wrongdoing, will face a hearing in March.
However, Botafogo would still take Paqueta and try to come to an arrangement with West Ham.
A swap deal that would see Jesus join West Ham could suit West Ham given their struggles in front of goal this season.
The East London club signed Niclas Fullkrug in the summer but the move is yet to come to fruition, with the German failing to score in any of his three league appearances.
Niclas Fullkrug has been sidelined since September having joined from Borussia Dortmund
The former Borussia Dortmund star has been sidelined since September due to an achilles problem and his return date remains unknown.
The Hammers continued their poor start to the season with a 3-0 defeat away to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
