EXCLUSIVE: Newcastle to let Guimaraes' priority club Barcelona buy midfielder for less than £100m

Jacque Talbot

• Updated: 12 Jan 2024 23:02 GMT
• 3 min read

Exclusive

Newcastle are open to letting Bruno Guimaraes leave in the summer for less than the release clause if Barcelona or Real Madrid make an offer, FootballTransfers has been told.

The Brazilian international is almost certain to leave St James' Park upon the conclusion of the campaign, after signing fresh terms with the Magpies in October with a clause of £100million inserted into his new deal.

The midfielder’s ultimate ambition is a move to Camp Nou, with the Spanish giants being seen as the priority, and following talks Newcastle are prepared to let him leave for a lesser amount if it enables him to realise his dream of playing in Spain.

Newcastle will not entertain offers from Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain, and Chelsea, however. Each of those will have to meet the release clause in full.

We understand that Guimaraes wants to play Champions League football and Newcastle’s current league predicament means that is unlikely.

Indeed, the former Lyon man will be the club’s major sale this upcoming window as they look to keep in line with Financial Fair Play regulations.

Other players such as Alexander Isak, who Chelsea have mulled over, as well as Sven Botman, liked by PSG, are considered unsellable, sources have told us.

What did Eddie Howe say about Newcastle's budget?

It comes after Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe spoke out against the lack of funds he has at his disposal.

He said via The Telegraph: “My job is to push as hard as I can to improve the team,” Howe added. “Whether that is coaching or in the boardroom. My primary job is the team and to make it the best I can.

“So, I will continue to do that [push for signings] but I have to respect and understand the football club’s health. That’s the primary concern of everybody because we want Newcastle United here for the next 500 years. We want it in a really good place and we have a long-term job.

“Sometimes, you have to make short-term signings. Sometimes, you have to take your long-term vision away and just deal with the here and now. I’d be quite prepared to do that if the situation arose where we could agree something that would help us for the here and now.”