Arsenal and Manchester City have been linked with a move for Newcastle United star Bruno Guimaraes in recent days and weeks, but GIVEMESPORT sources have revealed that the Magpies will not entertain sanctioning his St James’ Park exit at this stage of the transfer window.
Although boss Eddie Howe was forced to offload the likes of Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh to Nottingham Forest and Brighton & Hove Albion respectively – for a combined total of £65million – due to fears of the Tyneside giants breaching the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules, he has remained keen to secure reinforcements.
Central defender Marc Guehi is firmly in Newcastle’s sights, with Crystal Palace rejecting three bids when sporting director Paul Mitchell has been leading the recruitment drive, but they have remained at risk of their leading performers being the subject of offers ahead of the August 30 deadline.
Newcastle will refuse to cash in on Guimaraes this close to the campaign getting underway, according to GMS sources, and their stance will not change even if his head is turned by one of his suitors as they do not want to risk being unable to secure a suitable replacement ahead of the deadline.
Admirers had a golden opportunity to leave the Magpies helpless earlier in the summer as the Brazil international had a £100million release clause which expired in June, but he has remained on Tyneside after interested parties opted against forking out a nine-figure sum for his signature.
GMS sources have been informed that Newcastle are determined to block Guimaraes’ route out of St James’ Park even though there have been whispers that Arsenal and Manchester City are confident that he would be tempted to embark on a fresh challenge if they up the ante in their pursuit.
| Bruno Guimaraes’ statistical averages per 90 minutes during the 2023/24 Premier League campaign compared to the 2022/23 season | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2023/24 | 2022/23 | |
| Pass completion percentage | 83.9 | 83.2 |
| Tackles | 2.42 | 2.57 |
| Key passes | 1.71 | 1.39 |
| Shots | 1.32 | 0.92 |
| Assists | 0.22 | 0.17 |
| Goals | 0.19 | 0.13 |
| Statistics correct as of 15/08/2024 | ||
The defensive midfielder has been a key component of Howe’s plans since joining the Magpies in a £40million switch from Lyon in January 2022, which resulted in him becoming one of the first purchases since the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund completed a takeover of the club.
Although Newcastle’s stance does not necessarily mean that suitors will not test their resolve with a formal offer in the coming weeks, they find themselves in a strong negotiating position as Guimaraes’ contract – which allows him to pocket up to £200,000-per-week when bonuses are triggered – still has four years to run.
Newcastle’s hopes of keeping Guimaraes will increase significantly if Arsenal succeed in landing a former Magpies midfielder as GMS sources have been told that the Gunners are unlikely to attempt to raid St James’ Park if they succeed in striking a deal for Real Sociedad’s Mikel Merino ahead of the fast-approaching deadline.
The Euro 2024-winning Spain international had a brief spell on Tyneside, making 25 appearances during the 2017/18 campaign, and his return to the Premier League could be crucial to Howe not having to persuade his talisman to remain in his current surroundings instead of moving on.
However, there has been some speculation that Arsenal have played the waiting game before upping the ante for Merino as they have been keen to discover whether the door could open for them to make a U-turn and recruit Guimaraes, highlighting that he remains on their radar despite Newcastle being insistent that he is not for sale.
GMS sources understand that Manchester City are also huge admirers of the 26-year-old, and insiders close to the reigning Premier League champions are refusing to rule out heading to the negotiating table as they have considered attempting to win the race for his services for a prolonged period.
Although a move for West Ham United playmaker Lucas Paqueta is out of the question at this stage, Guimaraes was also high on the Sky Blues’ list of initial summer targets and there is still time for them to turn his head, potentially leaving Newcastle with a significant battle to sway him away from the Etihad Stadium.
GMS recently reported that the Magpies were fearful of Manchester City triggering the South American’s release clause during the early stages of the transfer window and, although they opted against taking advantage, a formal offer could still be lodged before the August 30 deadline.
