By Conor Hogan

Lucas Paquetá has reportedly shown genuine interest in a move away from West Ham this month.

It is hardly the first time rumours have circulated around the Brazilian and his future in East London. Every couple of months, the Hammers’ No.10 seems to be on the verge of leaving London Stadium.

Back in the summer of 2023, Paquetá came close to sealing a big-money move to Manchester City before his now two-year-long betting investigation brought those plans to a halt.

Since then, the 28-year-old has been linked with a return to Brazil, and it was even heavily suggested that he would join Aston Villa last August — rumours he publicly dismissed with his infamous celebration against Nottingham Forest, much to the delight of the West Ham faithful.

Now, however, his future is once again in doubt, and a move away may genuinely materialise.

According to Fabrizio Romano — who notably miscalled Paquetá’s supposed Villa move in the summer — the midfielder is keen on returning to his homeland, with personal terms reportedly already agreed.

West Ham could receive a fee of around £35 million, leaving the club with a huge decision to make.

There is no doubt Paquetá is a talented footballer. At his best, he has been one of the most technically gifted players to wear the shirt in recent years. But he is also an extremely volatile character.

He brings flair, creativity and unpredictability — both in his football and in his personality. That combination can be intoxicating when things are going well, but deeply frustrating when they are not.

Few West Ham players in recent memory have had such star quality. But Paquetá is also the type of player who can drift in and out of games, lose his discipline, and allow his emotions to override his effectiveness.

With the club now locked in a relegation dogfight, it is fair to question whether he is the kind of figure West Ham need right now — especially if reports are true that he asked to be left out of the squad for the FA Cup tie against QPR.

That said, selling him this month would be hugely risky.

The squad is already frighteningly thin, and despite his inconsistencies, Paquetá remains one of the few players capable of producing moments of genuine quality. Losing him without an immediate replacement — or ideally two — would be borderline negligent.

West Ham have already moved quickly to sign Pablo Felipe and Taty Castellanos, but sourcing another creative attacker of Paquetá’s calibre in January would be extremely difficult. Despite what people may say, Paqueta is still a big player for the Irons.

He may no longer be the player he was, but in the middle of a relegation battle, removing a player like Paquetá — even for a healthy fee — could prove catastrophic.

If Paquetá goes, West Ham must have a clear and ambitious plan.

If they don’t, this could be the decision that finally sends them down.