Newcastle United transfers: Eddie Howe could offer not firm guarantees over Bruno Guimaraes’ future despite the midfielder’s scheduled return date.
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe could not give any assurances over Bruno Guimaraes’ planned return to the club this Friday.
The 28-year-old midfielder has been given an extended break after representing Brazil at the 2026 World Cup but is due to report back ahead of the La Manga training camp.
The Gazette understands Guimaraes’ teammates are anticipating their skipper to return this week but recent history would suggest that is not guaranteed given the intense transfer interest from Premier League champions Arsenal. The Gunners are preparing to make a move for the Brazilian, who is understood to be keen leaving Newcastle after four-and-a-half years at St James’ Park.
Bruno Guimaraes of Newcastle United celebrates after scoring the third Newcastle goal during the Premier League match between Burnley and Newcastle United at Turf Moor on December 30, 2025 in Burnley, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)placeholder image
Bruno Guimaraes of Newcastle United celebrates after scoring the third Newcastle goal during the Premier League match between Burnley and Newcastle United at Turf Moor on December 30, 2025 in Burnley, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Last summer saw Alexander Isak fail to join up with Newcastle’s squad for a pre-season tour of Asia amid transfer interest from Liverpool. Isak eventually got his move after going on strike.
Guimaraes was an internal critic of Isak’s actions at the time, but now finds himself in a similar situation.
And Howe could offer no clarity on the situation despite Guimaraes’ planned return on July 31.
When asked directly if Guimaraes will be joining up with the squad on Friday to travel to Spain, Howe said: “The details I don’t actually know, but I don’t see any reason why that wouldn’t be the case.”
He added: “We want to keep all of our best players, they’re so valuable. I’ve said numerous times, there’s not many of them, so to get them and develop them, when you have them, you want to keep them. Bruno’s very much in that category, he’s an outstanding player.
“We’ve spoken numerous times. Assurances? I don’t think you can push too hard for those. I’ve said many times we want players who are committed, and Bruno has always been committed. His training performances and his game performances have been outstanding, every time he’s worn the shirt, he’s played with the fans by his side. I’d love to see that continue.”
The prolonged transfer saga surrounding Isak last summer saw Newcastle suffer on the pitch in the 2025/26 campaign. And Howe would want to avoid a similar situation materialising with Guimaraes this summer.
“Any distraction, it it’s not healthy, is unhealthy,” he added. “So, yeah [it would be negative for the speculation to drag on]. But we’re not in control of that.
“And to some degree, I don’t think Bruno’s in control of that either. What will be, will be. We can’t control the forces that are at play here, we’ve just got to make sure that when Bruno comes back, we look after him and he trains well, which I’m sure he will do. And he makes a difference as he always has done.”
Newcastle will travel to La Manga this weekend for a week-long training camp which will conclude with a friendly match against Valencia on August 8. The Magpies have had a disappointing start to pre-season so far with a 1-1 draw against National League side Gateshead followed by a 4-1 defeat at Bristol City on Wednesday night.