Milan would’ve benefited financially from a huge €80m transfer of their former player Lucas Paqueta from West Ham to Manchester City, but it is all on hold with the Brazilian investigated for illegal betting.
The Rossoneri first signed Paqueta from Flamengo in a deal worth €38.4m in January 2019 and he never quite delivered on his early promise.
After one goal and three assists in 44 competitive games, he was sold to Olympique Lyonnais for €23.4m plus bonuses and a percentage of the sell-on fee.
Milan did get a cash sum when he then moved to West Ham for €43m in the summer of 2022.
Now about to turn 26, Paqueta has been the subject of a proposal from Manchester City and was expected to make the move to Pep Guardiola’s side for circa €80m.
That would’ve generated a profit of €800,000 for Milan, as they are owed one per cent of the fee over his early formation.
However, the whole transfer now seems to be off the table, as the Daily Mail and Foot Mercato both report he is under investigation for breaching betting rules.
It is alleged that his family members placed bets on games that Paqueta was involved in, which is against the rules.
This has become quite a problem in English football, as Brentford striker Ivan Toney received an eight-month ban for admitting to breaching the FA’s betting rules an incredible 232 times.