Liverpool have reportedly been handed a boost in their pursuit of West Ham United attacker Mohammed Kudus, due to the uncertainty over his teammate Lucas Paqueta.
The Hammers have been tipped to part ways with Paqueta in the last two transfer windows, with Manchester City believed to be an admirer of the £85m-rated midfielder.
However, the Citizens have now cooled their interest in the Brazilian after he was charged by the Football Association with misconduct in relation to alleged betting breaches.
Paqueta is alleged to have affected the betting market in Brazil by intentionally receiving yellow cards across four Premier League matches between November 2022 and August 2023.
The 25-year-old was "extremely surprised" to be hit with the charges just over three weeks ago and it remains to be seen what the future holds for West Ham's No.10.
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West Ham more likely to sell Kudus?
Paqueta has been a standout performer for West Ham and has become a fans' favourite along with Kudus, who joined the Hammers last summer from Ajax for around £38m.
While Paqueta contributed with eight goals and seven assists in 43 appearances across all competitions last season, Kudus recorded 18 goals and seven assists from 48 games while operating in a variety of attacking positions.
Kudus's impressive form in his debut campaign for West Ham is understood to have caught the eye of a number of Premier League clubs including Liverpool, who could have another busy summer ahead of them under new boss Arne Slot.
The Reds have seemingly been handed a boost in their pursuit of Kudus, as Football Insider claims that the Ghanaian is 'far more likely' to leave West Ham this summer due to the uncertainty surrounding Paqueta's betting charge.
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Why have Liverpool been linked with Kudus?
Liverpool's alleged interest in attacking targets such as Kudus comes at a time when current first-team stars have been linked with a possible exit from Anfield.
Mohamed Salah will soon be entering the final year of his Reds contract and has continuously been tipped to make a big-money move to Saudi Arabia.
In recent weeks, winger Luis Diaz has attracted interest from La Liga giants Barcelona, but the cash-strapped Catalans are unlikely to meet Liverpool's nine-figure asking price for the Colombian.
Striker Darwin Nunez has also been linked with Barcelona just two seasons after joining Liverpool for a club-record £85m.
Oliver Thomas
