Manchester City’s pursuit of West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta is expected to intensify in the coming days, with a fee north of £80 million being quoted.

The Premier League champions want to strengthen their already star-studded roster. As a result of Kevin De Bruyne’s injury on Friday, club executives are more motivated than ever to finalize a deal for a new midfielder.

Brazilian midfielder Paqueta has been mentioned as Manchester City’s top choice for the position in the remaining weeks, but he will have a tough fight on his hands against West Ham in the next days because London Stadium officials are eager to keep the player.

However, one crucial factor in the fate of Lucas Paqueta may be the player’s own desire to join Manchester City, with new quotes emerging that will give those associated with last season’s treble winners plenty of hope when it comes to their chances of seeing the 25-year-old in blue.

Speaking with Pod Delas back in June of this year, as translated and relayed by The Athletic this week, the West Ham star admitted a “dream” of his while growing up was to one day join a club like Manchester City.

“I don’t intend to leave (West Ham United) but it’s clear that we dream of playing since we were little; Real Madrid, Manchester City, Barcelona, these bigger clubs we dream of playing (for),” Paqueta explained.

It is a feeling that is somewhat shared by his current manager at West Ham, David Moyes, who spoke last week about the difficulty in retaining a player who holds interest from some of Europe’s super club, including City.

“We wouldn’t want Lucas (Paqueta) to go, it’s as simple as that, but I also understand if you were in Lucas’s position,” Moyes admitted.

The former Manchester United manager continued, “Sometimes it is quite difficult to say to these boys, ‘Sorry, you can’t join Manchester City or Real Madrid,’ because they are two of the biggest clubs in the world.”

After their initial offer of £70 million was turned down by West Ham’s negotiators over the previous few days, Manchester City is anticipated to make a better verbal offer to the London club in the days to come.

Kevin De Bruyne will have a hamstring scan on Monday to determine the cause of the injury he suffered in the 0-3 victory against Burnley on Friday. This is the Belgian’s second hamstring injury in as many weeks, following the Champions League final.

Tuesday afternoon, City will travel to Athens in preparation for their UEFA Super Cup match against Europa League champion Sevilla. This will be Pep Guardiola’s first chance to win the trophy and the club’s first-ever participation in the championship competition.