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Newcastle disappointed as £34m bid and huge personal terms get binned

Newcastle have had a £34m bid rejected by Lyon for attacking midfielder Lucas Paqueta, according to a report.

The report from French outlet Le10 Sport claims that the Brazilian did not want to make the move across the Channel. Therefore the Ligue 1 side rejected the initial €40m offer. That is despite the suggestions that Newcastle were prepared to go higher for the 24-year-old former Flamengo man.

Paqueta joined Lyon from AC Milan in September 2020. He penned a a five-year deal for a fee of €20m. And he has made an impact for the French side with 17 goals and 10 assists in 55 appearances for the club.

Paqueta is arguably Lyon’s most important player, and holds a value of £31.5m on transfermarkt.

It’s no surprise then that Paqueta did not fancy the prospect of a relegation battle in the North East.

Over the weekend, Sport Witness, citing French outlet Foot Mercato, claimed Newcastle put forward an ‘astronomical’ wage offer to Paqueta. It sat at €212,500 per week, which equates to more than €10m a year. The deal would also run until 2025.

 

And that fits with the latest from Le10 Sport, who claim Newcastle allegedly offered to multiply his current wages in France by two and a half times.

Paqueta though simply was not interested, despite Newcastle making a formal offer. It left Lyon more than happy to rebuff the bid for their attacking talisman.

The Brazil international currently earns €97,500 a week in France, but even the lure of huge rise on that could not persuade him to move to England.

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Newcastle hunt down loans after Paqueta snub

According to 90min, Newcastle are aiming for an influx of six new signings to boost their relegation hopes.

Paqueta’s firm refusal to move though will come as a blow to Amanda Staveley and her husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi, who are “taking the lead on transfers”.

Transfer consultant Nicky Hammond is also involved in the transfer process, while Eddie Howe and his assistant Jason Tindall will also have their say, along with chief scout Steve Nickson.

The club are also narrowing down a list of Premier League targets in the hope of taking two on loan in January. The club have space for two domestic loan signings. However, a number of targets have already told relegation-threatened Newcastle that would only consider joining on an initial loan deal.

READ MORE: Arsenal powerless to resist transfer despite Newcastle raid cost rising

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