Newcastle United don’t want to sell Bruno Guimaraes - but here is why their captain is considering leaving.
The Gazette reported earlier this month that Guimaraes was seriously considering his future at St James’ Park, and reports in the last 24 hours claim he has informed the Magpies of his wish to leave and join the Premier League champions.
Newcastle have refused to comment and therefore haven’t denied that Guimaraes wants to depart. However, despite all the noise — believed to have been fuelled by the player's representatives — the Gunners have yet to make an official approach.
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Newcastle United’s stance on Bruno Guimaraes unchanged
United do not want to sell their skipper and are under no financial pressure to do so following the sales of Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali to Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur, respectively, for a combined £169million.
Guimaraes’ current contract is due to expire in 2028, however, he is effectively tied down until June 2029, with Newcastle holding the option to extend his deal by a further year.
The Brazilian was one of the first players to join under the PIF era and, without doubt, is the club’s most important player, especially when you consider Alexander Isak also departed 12 months ago.
Guimaraes is more than just a player to Newcastle. When the word project is mentioned, he is, and has been from the start, central to it. If he were to depart, then it would raise serious questions about the ownership and its supposed ambitions.
Why Bruno Guimaraes is considering leave
There is also the player’s perspective. When Guimaraes arrived from Lyon for £40million in January 2022, he was sold a dream. He spoke about the club being a world power with ambitions of winning the Premier League and Champions League.
Of course, financial rules have restricted - and will continue to restrict - Newcastle. However, that does not extend to infrastructure projects and nearly five years into the takeover, there has been no announcement on a new training ground or stadium.
Guimaraes turns 29 in November and may feel this is his last opportunity to secure a big-money move, even more so after watching Isak, Gordon and Tonali do the same.
The other side of that is the message it sends out, too. There has been a massive quality drain in Newcastle’s squad, and Guimaraes, as the last remaining superstar, has the right to ask questions about the direction.
He won’t want to tarnish his Newcastle legacy, but the reality is that by leaving, he risks exactly that. He is someone who has played on the heartstrings of supporters and that usually means no easy break-up.
So both Newcastle and Guimaraes are faced with a big decision: stay - which possibly includes a new contract - or leave and deal with all the negative fallout that comes with it.
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