Manchester City were held to a thrilling 3-3 draw against Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League tie in Spain on Tuesday night.
The Cityzens are still competing to land the treble for the second season in succession, as they eye the Premier League and the FA Cup alongside Europe's major prize.
Despite their continued success on the pitch, Pep Guardiola's side are already looking at possible targets to improve their playing squad in the upcoming summer transfer window.
City are reportedly eyeing up a swoop to sign a current Premier League star to bolster the Spanish manager's options in the middle of the park.
Man City agree personal terms with Premier League magician
According to Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna, Manchester City have now reached an agreement on personal terms with West Ham United star Lucas Paqueta.
The reporter claims that the Cityzens have ironed out a long-term contract, including the exact duration of the deal and the salary included, with the Brazil international ahead of the summer.
However, Aouna adds that there have not been any talks between the two clubs at this moment in time, which means that a fee has not been agreed.
The post states that Paqueta's agents are now expecting City and the Hammers to hold negotiations over a deal for the Brazilian wizard at the end of the season, although it does not reveal how much the London-based outfit are set to demand for their star performer.
An agreement on personal terms with the former Lyon maestro does, however, indicate that they already have the green light on the player's side, which could play into their hands in transfer talks.
West Ham would then know that they have someone who wants to move on this summer, and they may not want to keep an unhappy and unsettled player if City offer a significant fee to secure his services.
Lucas Paqueta's Premier League form
With his combative and creative performances, the 26-year-old whiz has showcased his quality as an all-round midfielder in the Premier League for the Hammers this season.
Paqueta currently ranks within the top 6% of attacking midfielders in the division for tackles (2.60) per 90, and the top 11% for interceptions (0.77) per 90, which speaks to how hard he works out of possession to win the ball back for his team.
Appearances
25
8
Sofascore rating
7.30
7.21
Goals
4
4
Big chances created
10
2
Assists
6
0
As you can see in the table above, the £150k-per-week star has also provided attacking quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals from midfield.
Paqueta, who has been described as "elegant" by U23 scout Antonio Mango, ranks within the top 7% of Premier League attacking midfielders for progressive passes (6.53) per 90 this season, which shows that he is constantly looking to play forward and progress play for his team.
Meanwhile, Matheus Nunes ranks within the bottom 45% of midfielders in the division with 4.14 progressive passes for City, and has produced zero goals and two assists in 15 games.
Man City set to make huge contract offer to "incredible" star who Pep loves
There has been a significant development.
ByHenry JacksonApr 7, 2024
This suggests that the potential is there for Paqueta to arrive as an upgrade on Nunes as a rotation option for Guardiola in midfield, which may be why he has been targeted ahead of the summer window.