West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paquetá has revealed he received psychological support from professionals after a blockbuster £85 million transfer to Manchester City collapsed at the last minute.
The Brazilian was closing on a move to the then-Premier League champions before being accused of breaching gambling regulations in 2023.
In August of that year, Paquetá was revealed to be under investigation for allegedly receiving intentional yellow cards, and the Brazil international faced a lifetime ban when he was formally charged for doing so one year later.
After a hearing, however, Paquetá was cleared of all gambling charges in July 2025, bringing an end to an ugly two-year saga which, according to the 28-year-old, left him mourning the collapse of his proposed move to City—which was due to be worth a whopping £85 million ($111.8 million) before the charges forced Pep Guardiola’s side to walk away.
“Everyone knows that I really had a transfer to City,” he told . “I probably would have signed the week I received the letter [with the charges].“
