When Barcelona travel to St James’s Park for their first Champions League fixture of the new league phase on Thursday, they will be greeted by a familiar face in the form of Newcastle United’s captain, Bruno Guimarães.
The Brazilian midfielder has reportedly filled the lists of transfer targets drawn up by Barcelona’s recruitment department over the years, although he always remained out of reach for the Catalan giants.
Guimarães was one of the first arrivals under Newcastle’s immensely wealthy ownership regime in January 2022, rapidly adopting the culture of his new surroundings and establishing himself as a firm fan favorite.
Bruno Guimarães offering a hand of apology.
Bruno Guimarães could have been lining up against Newcastle on Thursday in an alternate reality. / Matt McNulty/Getty Images
The admiration from Newcastle’s support was shared by Barcelona’s sporting director, Deco. The former playmaker is described by SPORT as a “favorite” of the transfer specialist, who is thought to have repeatedly targeted the South American all-rounder in the summers of 2023 and 2024 to fill the void left at the base of midfield by Sergio Busquets’s departure.
However, Guimarães would remain an “impossible dream” thanks to an asking price of €100 million (£86.8 million, $118.5 million). As Newcastle proved during their standoff with Liverpool over the summer regarding the sale of Alexander Isak, the Magpies can be stern negotiators.
Replacing Busquets has proven to be an arduous task. Oriol Romeu was brought in as a direct alternative in 2023 alongside the more attacking Ilkay Gündogan in 2023 for a combined sum of €3.4 million. Neither would last more than one season.
Frenkie de Jong increasingly took on Busquets’s responsibilities in possession while Hansi Flick turned to the club’s rejuvenated academy to offer some ballast off the ball. Marc Bernal started last season in the pivot role but had a promising campaign cut short by a knee injury from which he has only just returned. Marc Casadó also helped plug that gap and could well find himself going directly up against Guimarães on Tyneside this Thursday.
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