Newcastle ward off Chelsea transfer interest in star with new contract

Suraj Radia

• 10 Mar 2023 07:07 CST
• 2 min read

Newcastle are set to hand a new contract to Bruno Guimaraes in attempt to fight off interest in their talismanic midfielder, having rejected an approach for him by Chelsea in January.

Guimaraes has been a revelation since his £42 million move from Lyon last year, netting eight goals in 35 Premier League games and becoming the focal point of Eddie Howe’s side.

His performances for the Magpies have attracted interest from the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester City, however Chelsea are also understood to have enquired about Guimaraes in recent times.

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Chelsea have been on a spending spree under Todd Boehly, spending £600m in the past two transfer windows and the Blues were hoping to add Guimaraes to their big money recruits.

The approach was immediately dismissed by Newcastle, according to The Telegraph, but the club are now looking to tie Guimaraes down to a new, long-term deal in anticipation of big offers which will likely arrive during the summer.

Guimaraes still has more than three years remaining on his current deal and Newcastle are preparing to add at least another 12 months onto that, which would keep him at the club past his 30th birthday.

Guimaraes happy at Newcastle despite interest

Newcastle will tell interested teams that Guimaraes is not for sale, even for ‘silly money’ in excess of £100m, with the Brazilian considered integral to the club’s ambitious plans for the future.

The player himself also has no desire to leave Newcastle in the short-term, repeatedly stressing his love for the club and his aim to become a legend on Tyneside, having been welcomed with open arms by the city and supporters.

However, while there is no chance of Guimaraes playing for another Premier League side anytime soon despite interest, some people around him are enamoured by Real and would love to see him play for the Spanish side, who have tracked him since his time in France.

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Real are believed to see Guimaraes as one of the alternatives to Jude Bellingham, who they are hoping to sign in the summer, but Newcastle’s financial prowess combined with Guimaraes’ happiness with his current situation means that any move is unlikely for the time being.