📣 Pep Guardiola responds to Lucas Paquetá rumours ahead of season opener | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has refused to be drawn on speculation linking his side with a move for West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paquetá.

Earlier this week, rumours emerged suggesting the Premier League champions were ready to bid £70m for Paquetá, with the Brazilian said to be keen on switching to the Etihad Stadium.

But speaking ahead of his side’s trip to Burnley in Friday’s Premier League season opener, Guardiola remained tight-lipped.

“I will not answer about [Lucas] Paquetá; he is a West Ham player,” said Guardiola.

Reports on Thursday claimed West Ham could be interested in taking City winger Cole Palmer to the London Stadium as a makeweight in any deal for Paquetá, with the 21-year-old having also been linked with Brighton this summer.

But after Palmer’s goal in last weekend’s Community Shield, Guardiola hinted there could be more first-team opportunities for the youngster this season, particularly following Riyad Mahrez’s departure.

“Cole [Palmer] is with us. Today he is with us. What is going to happen, I don’t know,” he said.

“I understand he wants to be more active than the previous season. But Riyad [Mahrez] has gone so we have one more place there. I cannot say anything because, of course, all the decisions need to be made by the club. The club has to decide what the best is. All together, we will do it.”

Guardiola also confirmed that summer signing Joško Gvardiol is “ready and available” for the trip to Burnley, and admitted that he isn’t expecting his side to repeat last season’s treble-winning feat this year.

“I don’t think it will be possible to do what we did last season [the Treble]. We climbed the highest mountain last season but we have come down that mountain now,” he said.

“We start the same as everyone else. Our mentality will dictate how the season will be. Every season you start from zero. The history speaks for itself. We need to try and do a performance against Burnley, then Newcastle and then Sheffield United.”