Barcelona scout Lucas Paqueta
Barcelona look to Brazil for another talented prospect.
Arthur was brought in from Gremio this summer as a long-term upgrade for the midfield and Barcelona appear to favour the scouting network that discovered him. According to Sport, the Catalans have identified Lucas Paqueta as another young Brazilian talent who could fit into the team. The two of them made their national team debuts against USA and they could be club teammates in the near future.
Paqueta currently plays for Flamengo where he has excelled in the league as one of their star players. The 21-year-old currently has two years left on his contract with a €50 million release clause, but is rumoured to be in talks for a new one which will increase that to €70 million due to the interest he is attracting from Europe. Real Madrid acquired Vinicius Junior from Flamengo for €46 million last year, so it’s no surprise that the Brazilian side are ensuring Paqueta goes for a high price.
He is currently used as a box-to-box midfielder due to his versatile skillset and work-rate as can be seen with his average of 2.8 aerial duels won, 2.8 tackles and 1.2 interceptions, per WhoScored. Even though he is a midfielder he often leads the press, although at times that can be a poor decision, so his tactical understanding is something that needs to be worked on, but he has all the tools to be successful.
Paqueta averages 2.1 dribbles, 1.4 key passes and 84.5% pass success per game, per WhoScored, although it has to be acknowledged that there is a sizeable gap between Brazil and the top European leagues. Nonetheless, he is a talented midfielder who is capable of breaking down opposition defensive shapes and even contributes directly with six goals and an assist in 20 league games.
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There are other players who should be higher up the priority list for Barcelona such as Frenkie de Jong. €70 million is a lot to spend on a player that Barca don’t necessarily need, especially when he has no experience in Europe. If there wasn’t so much interest in his signature then Barcelona could potentially barter Flamengo down by allowing him to stay at the club for a few more seasons, but that is highly unlikely to happen. Therefore, he’s probably not going to join the Catalans in the immediate future no matter how quickly he develops.