Aston Villa eye possible swoop for West Ham United attacker Lucas Paqueta | OneFootball

Aston Villa are in contact with West Ham United over a potential move for Brazilian attacker Lucas Paqueta, according to Foot Mercato.

Villa are preparing for the possibility of losing Morgan Rogers despite their attempts to hand him a new contract.

They will look to bring the West Ham star to the Villa Park club from the London Stadium club if the England international leaves.

The Hammers want £60 million for Paqueta from suitors, and whether the Villans will be able to afford it even with the sales of Rogers remains to be seen.

The Brazilian is open to leaving West Ham, and the likes of Tottenham Hotspur are also keen on recruiting his services.

Villa are offering Europa League football, but the opportunity to move to a club in the Champions League could be more appealing.

The Midlands club are only likely to move for the Hammers attacker if it becomes clear that Rogers is leaving.

The Villa attacker is also on the radar of Spurs, while Arsenal were briefly credited with an interest before they signed Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace.

The Villans have to remain compliant with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules after UEFA fined them earlier this summer for breaching the Financial Fair Play rules.

They are unable to spend plenty of money right now, and Paqueta could be out of their reach as a result.

Villa manager Unai Emery wants to hold on to key players, but things could change in the coming days and Rogers and Ollie Watkins could attract late interest from suitors.

They have been linked with Borussia Dortmund striker Maximilian Beier, with talks ongoing with the representatives of the Germany international.

The 22-year-old is likely to be a plan B should Watkins leave, and things could get interesting at the Midlands club over the next few days as far as transfers go.