Chelsea could reportedly be a surprise name to watch in the race for the potential transfer of West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta.
The Brazil international could be on his way out of West Ham this January as Flamengo look to bring him back for around €40m.
However, journalist Renan Moura, posting about this story on X, also added that Chelsea are considering entering into the mix for Paqueta’s signature.
This is because those close to Paqueta believe he’d be better off remaining in Europe as he’s still only 28 years of age.
See below for details from Moura’s post on X…
Apurei que o Flamengo já fez uma primeira investida junto ao West Ham por Lucas Paquetá, mas o clube inglês rejeitou a oferta. O Rubro-Negro deve apresentar novos valores para ter o jogador na Gávea ainda em 2026 e pode atingir a casa de 40 milhões de euros para isso.
O Chelsea… pic.twitter.com/mBp8pHx8I8
— Renan Moura (@renanmoura1989) January 12, 2026
Would Chelsea really move for Lucas Paqueta?
Chelsea have stuck quite strictly to a policy of recruiting the world’s best young players under their current ownership.
The Blues invested a lot in the likes of Estevao Willian, Alejandro Garnacho, Jamie Gittens, Joao Pedro and Liam Delap over the summer.
This also follows other key players such as Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto being snapped up at a young age.
Paqueta doesn’t fit that model at all, so it’s hard to know how seriously to take this story.
CFC might well be tempted to make the occasional exception to their main transfer strategy, but it’s debatable if someone like Paqueta is worth it.
The former Lyon man hasn’t really been at his best for the Hammers of late, so there seems little reason for Chelsea to go out of their way to bring him in at the expense of someone who might be a better long-term investment.
Chelsea’s midfield options
Chelsea moving for a stop-gap in attack or defence might make sense as they arguably lack quality and depth in those areas.
Joao Pedro and Liam Delap have been disappointing up front, while the west Londoners could also surely aim a little higher than players like Trevoh Chalobah and Tosin Adarabioyo in defence.
Midfield, however, is one area of real strength in Liam Rosenior’s squad, so it’s hard to see how Paqueta would even fit in.
