Michael Carrick has asked the Manchester United hierarchy to sign West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta, according to reports.
Carrick is expected to be announced as United’s interim manager until the end of the season this week and will reportedly be backed with funds in the January transfer window.
Lucas Paqueta’s 2025/26 Premier League stats
- 4 goals, 1 assist in 18 games
- 23 key passes
- 95 progressive passes
- 16 take-ons won (34% success rate)
- 39 tackles (22 won)
United opted to appoint an interim for the remainder of 2025/26 after sacking Ruben Amorim at the beginning of January, with a view to bringing in an elite manager permanently in the summer.
England boss Thomas Tuchel and Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League-winning head coach Luis Enrique are among the leading candidates to replace Amorim, but it is all about Carrick right now.
The 44-year-old’s sole objective is to get the Red Devils back into the Champions League, with fifth place in the Premier League expected to be enough. United are currently seventh.
There is a decent chance the former United midfielder, who oversaw three games as caretaker boss following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sacking in November 2021, will have money to spend this month, with a midfielder a top priority.
Al Hilal’s Ruben Neves is reportedly a leading target and is available for as little as £20million, in what would be a no-brainer signing.
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Carrick wants West Ham midfielder as first Man Utd signing
However, according to a report from Hooligan Soccer, via a ‘team of five elite reporters’ on X, Carrick’s ‘first transfer request’ is West Ham playmaker Lucas Paqueta.
It has been reported that Paqueta wants to return to Brazil, with Flamengo willing to pay around £30million for the 28-year-old.
Paqueta is said to be so keen on leaving West Ham that he has reportedly agreed personal terms with Flamengo and accepted a pay cut.
He appears to have his heart set on a return to his home country ahead of this summer’s World Cup, but United could yet throw a spanner in the works.
Carrick is reportedly ‘looking to expand his player pool’ and has ‘asked’ the United hierarchy to sign Paqueta from West Ham.
The former Middlesbrough head coach is not expected to have much influence over transfers. No United manager will. An interim certainly will not.
Instead, director of football Jason Wilcox is expected to have the final say on all incoming transfers.
Paqueta was previously linked with a move to Manchester City, but an FA investigation into suspicious betting patterns derailed that transfer and has clearly affected the former Lyon star on a personal level.
A fresh start back home appears to be the perfect solution for Paqueta, rather than stepping into the current chaos at Old Trafford.
That said, the prospect of playing for the biggest club in England could yet tempt him to remain in the Premier League.
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