Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes does have permission from the club to “explore” his options if the Magpies fail to qualify for the Champions League, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.
Speaking on The United Stand YouTube channel, Jacobs said that there is an informal understanding that the Brazilian can seek a move so he can continue playing in Europe’s top competition:
“There is, not that it’s always legally enforceable, a verbal gentleman’s agreement allowing Bruno Guimaraes to explore options for clubs that have Champions League football if Newcastle United don’t have Champions League football.”
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Guimaraes has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United, but Newcastle have denied that their talisman is close to leaving St James’ Park.
Are Newcastle still able to qualify for the Champions League?
Eddie Howe’s side are currently seven points adrift of 5th place Liverpool, so they have plenty of ground to make up in the final eight games.
Considering Newcastle’s inconsistent form this season, many question whether they can back into contention for Champions League qualification, although they will now have more preparation time for upcoming fixtures after crashing out in this season’s competition to Barcelona.
The club won’t sell both Guimaraes and Tonali
One of the key reasons why speculation about the futures of the club captain and Sandro Tonali has increased is due to the club’s reported transfer stance.
If Guimaraes goes, Tonali will stay and vice versa. What seems to be happening is that the agents of the two players are manoeuvring themselves to ensure that their client is the one who is sold.
While Guimaraes is said to have strong interest from United, Tonali is attracting the attention of Arsenal, Manchester City and Juventus.
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