Flamengo have confirmed the return of Lucas Paquetá to the club, with the Brazilian midfielder joining on a permanent transfer from West Ham United.
After weeks of negotiations Flamengo agreed a fee of £35.8m ($49.4m) per ESPN sources, making Paquetá the most expensive player ever signed by a Brazilian club.
“Lucas Paquetá is coming home,” Flamengo said in a statement.
“Coming back to Flamengo. A historic move. A milestone in the world football market, on par with Flamengo…Thank you to our sponsors, who invest in Flamengo, believe in the project and were part of the effort to make this return happen… and, above all, thank you to the Flamengo Nation, who push, believe and transform dreams into reality.”
West Ham had wanted Paquetá to stay until the end of the season to help the club’s battle to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
However, Paquetá, who had 18 months left on his contract, had requested to return to Brazil ahead of the World Cup.
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“I’m very happy to return home,” Paquetá, 28, said in a video posted on his Instagram. “I want to thank the Flamengo president, Flamengo and their sponsors. Of course, I also want to thank the fans who made this dream of returning possible.”
Paquetá left Flamengo in 2018 for AC Milan. The Brazil international, who joined the east London club in the summer of 2022 from Lyon, has had a turbulent time in England.
He was the subject of a lengthy FA investigation into alleged breaches of gambling rules which only ended last year when he was cleared.
The attacking midfielder, who scored four goals and one assist in 18 Premier League appearances, this season, bid farewell to West Ham on social media before travelling to his country on Wednesday.
He is expected to land in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday ahead of undergoing a medical before signing a contract with Flamengo until December 2029.
