The Brazilian midfielder was close to a reported £80 million move to Pep Guardiola’s side in August 2023, before allegations that he had deliberately sought yellow cards to influence betting markets brought negotiations to a halt.
Paquetá was charged over four Premier League matches between 2022 and 2023. The allegations followed him for almost two years, with an independent regulatory commission finding the four spot-fixing charges not proven in July 2025. However, separate charges relating to failures to co-operate with the investigation were upheld, resulting in a reprimand and formal warning.
By then, the opportunity to join City had passed. Paquetá has now spoken about the disappointment during a TikTok livestream, explaining that the investigation was the reason the proposed transfer never happened.
“I didn't end up going to City because of the investigation I went through, you see?” he said.
When another participant mentioned clubs such as Real Madrid and Barcelona, Paquetá made clear that Manchester was where he had wanted to go.
“No, it was City. It was City. I've always really liked City,” he replied.
The midfielder also indicated that the lengthy process changed the circumstances of his career. By the time the case had reached its conclusion, the opportunity to move to Guardiola’s team was no longer available and he was at a different stage of his career.
Paquetá eventually left West Ham and returned to his boyhood club Flamengo in January 2026 in a reported €42 million transfer. The move brought his three-and-a-half-year spell in England to an end after a period in which the investigation had dominated the conversation around him.
His comments offer a personal insight into the sporting cost of the case. Although he was cleared of the four spot-fixing allegations, the investigation had already disrupted a major career opportunity.
For Paquetá, the disappointment remains clear: Manchester City was not simply one possible destination among several. It was the club he had always wanted to join.