Man City MAKE CONTACT with £100m midfielder's entourage over summer deal

Manchester City have now made contact with the entourage of Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes over the terms of a blockbuster summer transfer, according to reports in Spain, following on from our exclusive report earlier this week that the English champions were mulling over paying the player’s release clause.

The 26-year-old has been a bright spot in a disappointing season for the Magpies, as they struggle to replicate the form which saw them qualify for the Champions League for the first time in two decades last term.

They are currently marooned in 10th place in the Premier League table and tumbled out of the Champions League at the first hurdle back in winter.

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Guimaraes has scored three goals in 27 Premier League matches for the Toon during this campaign, and added five assists for his side.

The form of the Brazilian international has led to talk of a move to one of English football’s biggest clubs with Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United previously credited with interest.

Man City contact Guimaraes over £100m summer move

And now AS is reporting that Pep Guardiola’s City side are prepared to meet a £100 million buyout clause in Guimaraes’ Newcastle contract in order to get him out of St. James’ Park.

It follows our FootballTransfers report early this week which revealed that the treble winners were considering paying his buyout in full.

As part of the operation, claims the Spanish sports daily, the club have already sounded out his representatives, initiating contact ahead of the summer window.

Guardiola is seeking a proven option in the centre of midfield to go alongside Rodri having seen Kalvin Phillips fail to make the grade in that position.

Guimaraes has been a shining light for his side since first moving to the Premier League in January 2022 from Lyon for a fee of €20m.

He recently signed a new and improved five-year contract with the club, meaning any interested parties are going to have to pay big money to secure his signature.

Newcastle face City in the FA Cup this weekend with Guardiola being asked on Friday about Guimaraes - one of his club’s potential summer transfer targets.

“Exceptional holding midfielder; aggressive, with the ball he has pause, in set pieces he is aggressive,” the Spaniard said.

"Now Newcastle wants to grow and I am quite sure that it is part of their project for the next few years, definitely."

Douglas Luiz and Joshua Kimmich also on City list

Two other names on the list for City include Joshua Kimmich, Bayern Munich’s unsettled midfield star who previously worked under Pep, and Douglas Luiz, who signed for City before moving to Aston Villa and becoming a Premier League mainstay.

Guimaraes has also attracted attention from European giants in the shape of Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona.

It is reportedly the player’s dream to one day play for Barca but their precarious finances mean they will only have €80m to spend this summer and will need to sell players before they make a splash in the market.