Manchester City are eyeing Newcastle United’s Bruno Guimaraes as a key midfield target to add to their squad either next month or through the upcoming summer transfer window.
According to a report from Craig Hope of the Daily Mail, Pep Guardiola is eager to strengthen his options in the wake of Rodri’s ACL injury, and Man City are expected to pursue at least one midfielder in January, with the potential for a second addition next summer.
Bruno, who has been and still is pivotal to Newcastle’s success on the pitch, is definitely on Man City’s shortlist to fill the gap left by Rodri alongside Real Sociedad’s Martín Zubimendi and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton, Hope reported.
Although Guardiola has been a long-standing admirer of Bruno and had pushed for City to make a move for the Magpies midfielder last summer, the £100 million release clause in the Brazilian’s contract deterred the reigning Premier League champions, who instead opted to re-sign Ilkay Gundogan from Barcelona.
“City could test Newcastle’s resolve in January or next summer,” Hope wrote, adding that any mid-season move would face stiff resistance from Eddie Howe. That said—and even more in a football world dominated by PSR constraints—never say never.
One thing that could help Man City in their pursuit of Bruno, assuming no transfer is completed in January, is the very real possibility of Newcastle failing to qualify for the Europa League—let alone the Champions League—in a development that might put Bruno in “leaving mode” if he wants to win some—any—title at the peak of his game.
Bruno’s current contract at Newcastle runs for more than three years, giving the Magpies leverage in negotiations but also limiting the Brazilian’s chances at silverware given NUFC’s near-impossible odds to win a championship—kinda-realistically, just the EFL or FA Cup.
Hope notes that there have been no discussions yet between Newcastle sporting director Paul Mitchell and his City counterpart Txiki Begiristain, but it’s fair to assume that Man City’s financial power and Guardiola’s admiration for Bruno could pose a significant test for Newcastle in the months to come if an offer ends up materializing.