• Midfielder unhappy in England and keen on Brazil return

• West Ham would like to keep him until end of season

Lucas Paquetá asked to be left out of West Ham’s FA Cup tie against QPR and is keen to join Flamengo this month.

The midfielder has grown disillusioned with life in England and wants to return to Brazil. Flamengo are willing to pay €40m (£34.7m) for Paquetá, who was last year cleared of alleged breaches of the Football Association’s betting regulations, and it is unclear whether the Brazilian will play for West Ham again. The uncertainty over his future increased when he missed the third-round win over QPR despite being fit.