Newcastle United’s squad has already been significantly weakened this summer. They have seen two of their best players leave. Anthony Gordon has joined FC Barcelona, while Sandro Tonali has headed to Tottenham Hotspur. Naturally, fans have been left worried by rumours of a Bruno Guimaraes exit as well.
Guimaraes is enjoying a tremendous World Cup campaign right now. He has a tournament-high four assists to his name for Brazil and has been instrumental in their progress to the round of 16.
Unsurprisingly, that has caught the eye of clubs, if his performances for Newcastle United had not already. Arsenal are believed to be keen on a move for the Brazilian midfielder.
There is one clause in Guimaraes’ contract with Newcastle United though, which makes an exit even more unlikely this summer, especially after Tonali and Gordon’s departures.
There is a forgotten clause in Bruno Guimaraes’ contract
When Newcastle United had signed Guimaraes from Lyon in early 2022, the French club had confirmed in the announcement that they had retained a 20% sell-on fee.
That would drive up Guimares’ potential transfer fee further, as Newcastle United would need enough incentive to sanction a move. But at the same time, there is a limit to how much a club might be willing to shell out to sign a midfielder who is going to turn 29 years old in November.
Of course, anything can happen in the transfer market. But it feels a bit unlikely that Guimaraes will leave this summer. For multiple reasons as well.
Most importantly, Newcastle United should not be under any financial pressure to do the deal after bringing in a combined £170 million for the departures of Tonali and Gordon. Also, the fans won’t be too happy if the club end up sanctioning a third high-profile exit in the same transfer window.
Guimaraes needs to lead next era at Newcastle United
If Guimaraes does end up staying on at Newcastle United beyond this summer, he will have established himself as a club legend in the eyes of the fans.
There is just a special connection that the supporters have with players who do not leave, even when those around them have. Guimaraes has seen the likes of Alexander Isak, Gordon and Tonali leave, over the course of the past year.
It is worth mentioning though, that this could very well be Guimaraes’ last real chance to get a big transfer move. He is 28 years old and will be coming off an excellent, at least at an individual level, World Cup campaign with Brazil.
His stock will never have been higher. But the only way I can see this transfer happening is if Guimareas ends up pushing for it to go through.
