Newcastle United could be set to lose their third high profile player of the summer transfer window
It’s fair to say the summer transfer window hasn’t exactly gone to plan for Newcastle United so far. The club went into the off-season with the expectation that they may lose a key player - an inevitable consequence of the club failing to qualify for Europe last season. Anthony Gordon then joined Barcelona, but that was just the beginning of the Magpies’ woes.
In came Tottenham, revived from their close call with relegation last season, and handed over a whopping £100m to snatch away star midfielder Sandro Tonali. On top of that, Manchester United’s interest in left-back Lewis Hall continues to grow by the day, and worst of all, Arsenal look to be rapidly closing in on a move to sign club captain Bruno Guimaraes.
It looks to be the end of an era for the Magpies, with a host of established fan favourites leaving for pastures new. Guimaraes’ departure will sting the most, with the Brazil international starring as the all-action heartbeat of Newcastle’s midfield for the past four-and-a-half seasons, becoming an integral part of the side and firmly taken to the hearts of the St. James’ Park faithful.
The pressure is now on the North East side to recruit, and recruit well. Last summer, Newcastle had a similarly rough time of it in the window - they blew £55m on Anthony Elanga who flopped, a whopping £43m on Jacob Ramsey who struggled with injury issues, and completely messed up the sale of Alexander Isak, waiting too late in the window to adequately replacement him.
As things stand, Newcastle are said to be digging their heels in over Guimaraes’ exit, with a firm ‘not for sale’ stance being issued. But we’ve seen this film many times before, and we all know how it ends: Arsenal will get their man, and the Magpies will surely be well compensated. Here are six signings Newcastle could consider to replace their star midfielder, as the countdown to the new season continues.
Newcastle United’s potential Guimaraes replacements - Bergvall to Scott
Parma's Mandela Keita is among a host of midfielders to be linked with Newcastle Unitedplaceholder image
Parma's Mandela Keita is among a host of midfielders to be linked with Newcastle United | Getty Images
Lucas Bergvall - Tottenham:Spurs have blown away the competition in this summer’s transfer window, spending well over £200m on three signings, with three more arriving on free transfers. To balance the books, they’ll need to make some sales, and Bergvall has been heavily linked with the Magpies in recent weeks, as well as Nottingham Forest.
He’s great on the ball and knows how to protect it, and could be a fine addition to Eddie Howe’s midfield. The worry is that he could opt for a move to the City Ground, with recent reports suggesting he’s been swayed by the opportunity to play under Forest’s new manager Oliver Glasner.
Mandela Keita - Parma: Likely to be available for around £20m, signing Keita would certainly help Newcastle stretch their transfer budget further. His role isn’t quite as expansive as Guimaraes’, in that he doesn’t boast as much attacking nous, but his defensive grit is admirable, and he’d provide a rock solid screen in front of Eddie Howe’s back four.
Adam Scott - Bournemouth: It’s a left-field shout, but signing Scott would be a serious coup for Newcastle. Chelsea had a £64m bid rejected for the England U21 international earlier this week, and the Cherries are said to be refusing to sell him this summer. Does that sound at all familiar? Bournemouth will have their price, and with the vast amount of money the Magpies have made in sales this summer, you’d back them to reach it.
Scott is a bit of an all-rounder like Guimaraes, capable of mucking in and doing the hard graft defensively, before pushing forward to create flowing attacking moves and take the odd pop at goal. However, given that a host of elite Premier League clubs are after the 22-year-old, selling him the dream without Champions League football to offer would be a tall task for Newcastle.
Newcastle United’s potential Guimaraes replacements - Larsson to Nmecha
Lamine Camara is thought to be a long-term Newcastle targetplaceholder image
Lamine Camara is thought to be a long-term Newcastle target | AFP via Getty Images
Hugo Larsson - Eintracht Frankfurt: The 12-cap Sweden international is believed to be a priority target for Newcastle at present, after three impressive seasons in the Bundesliga. There is, however, thought to be rival competition for Manchester United, who are looking for a third midfield signing of the summer to complete their major engine room overhaul.
He doesn’t boast the creative flair offered by Guimaraes, but does offer a similarly relentless approach to winning back the ball, and also has the ideal combination of brutish physicality paired with diligent composure on the ball. He could end up costing around £43m, which should leave money in the tank to strengthen Howe’s squad elsewhere too.
Lamine Camara - Monaco: The energetic Senegal international is another top class option Newcastle could consider, who would likely be in a similar price bracket to Larsson. He’s another relentless box-to-box operator who could thrive in the heart of Howe’s midfield, and would likely be available for a similar price to Larsson. Brighton, Liverpool and Spurs are all also said to be after him, which could make things tricky.
Felix Nmecha - Borussia Dortmund: At the end of last month, Newcastle were said to be eyeing up a move for the German gem, but his whopping £74m release clause was thought to be too lofty for the club to reach. That may well still be the case, but the Magpies may have some luck in haggling with the Bundesliga side, who have built a reputation for being a ‘selling club’.
Like with most of Newcastle’s targets, they won’t be alone in their pursuit of the 25-year-old, with Real Madrid and Manchester United also thought to be in the mix. If they both go for other options, and Nmecha is still up for grabs, then the Magpies could boldly use the Guimaraes millions to secure themselves a top class replacement before the start of the 2026/27 campaign.