Bruno Guimaraes is expected to sign a new deal with Newcastle United, but a release clause “in excess of £100 million” is set to be inserted into the contract.
According to Ben Jacobs (via GIVEMESPORT), Newcastle United could agree to include a release clause worth “well in excess of £100 million” in the new contract of Bruno Guimaraes, with his representatives lobbying for it if he signs a new deal with his current club.
Guimaraes has been a revelation ever since he moved to the club from Lyon for £38 million in January 2022. Although the Brazilian’s form has blown hot and cold at the start of the current season, he played a pivotal role in helping his team secure Champions League qualification last term and will be one of their cornerstones this year as they try to fight for everything.
Now that they have built those Champions League foundations, it is important to keep hold of their prized assets, amid likely interest from elsewhere. And they are already reportedly doing the same when it comes to Guimaraes.
While he still has just over three years left on his current £120,000-a-week deal on Tyneside which expires in 2026, Newcastle are looking to tie him down even further. And the player is close to agreeing to a new and improved deal at Newcastle after the contract talks initially opened at the back end of the 2022/23 season
Guimaraes is already one of Newcastle’s highest earners with a weekly wage of £120,000. But that is expected to increase if he signs a new contract. The long-term future of Bruno Guimaraes could still be in doubt despite the Brazilian nearing a new deal at the club.
While Guimaraes is certainly not looking to leave Newcastle anytime soon and has made no secret of his wish to stay there is a feeling that despite an extended deal, the Magpies at some point in the next few seasons will face a tough decision on the midfielder amid interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Real Madrid have been mentioned as a potential destination for him at some stage in his career. And even though Newcastle is one of the rapidly-rising clubs in Europe, surely few would doubt Los Merengues have a certain pull.
Free-spenders Chelsea have also enquired about the midfielde, and would be ready to pay top dollar for his services. But there are doubts whether they would be able to convince the player to buy into their project.
Either way, If the Magpies want Guimaraes to commit for the long term, including a release clause in his contract might be a necessary compromise. Although the presence of any release fee is a cause for concern as it would leave them in a powerless situation if they want to keep him, there is no guarantee that a club will shell out such a high figure – potentially up towards over £100 million – on the Brazilian maestro.
Liverpool did reportedly get close to nine figures with their rejected bid last summer. But it is important to note that to trigger the release clause, they would need to offer even more, and it would have to be a single lump sum payment. So, a suitor would have to really push the boat out in order to snap up Guimaraes from Newcastle’s clutches.
