Claret & Hugh have been informed this evening that Nuno Espírito Santo has finally given up hope of keeping Lucas Paquetá at West Ham United.

Nuno had been clinging to the belief that his Brazilian playmaker could yet be persuaded to remain at the London Stadium. Until earlier this afternoon, there was still hope that Paquetá could be loaned back to West Ham in the event of a permanent move to Flamengo.

However, Claret & Hugh have now been told by a reliable source with strong links to the club: “I think Nuno knows he can’t keep Lucas now.”

West Ham Switch Focus to Maximising Fee

West Ham rejected a £35 million offer from Flamengo earlier this afternoon, but it now appears that any attempt to engineer a loan-back arrangement has been abandoned.

Instead, the Hammers are expected to focus solely on securing the highest possible transfer fee for a player who looks increasingly unlikely to pull on a West Ham shirt again.