Newcastle told three reasons why Bruno Guimaraes Barcelona transfer cannot be blocked

Barcelona’s reported interest in signing Newcastle United star Bruno Guimaraes should not come as any surprise given the current high demand for central midfielders of his quality.

That’s the view of former Premier League winner Sergio Aguero, who ended his career with the Catalan giants in 2021. Brazilian play-maker Guimaraes has enjoyed another stellar season for the Magpies, having already made 30 appearances in all competitions this campaign.

But with Newcastle under pressure to sell players to balance their Financial Fair Play books, the 26-year-old fan’s favourite could still leave St James’ Park this month if a significant offer is tabled. Aguero, who won five Premier League titles with Manchester City, expects top European clubs to try and take advantage of the situation, particularly because of the position that Guimaraes plays with such distinction in the northeast.

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Speaking to Stake.com, Aguero said: “It is not a total surprise, given his great performance this season. Guimaraes has been doing very well for himself at Newcastle. There’s a high demand today for centre-midfield players with good handling, striking and offensive potential.”

It appears that the feeling of admiration between Guimaraes, who signed for Newcastle in January 2022 for £40m, and Barcelona could be mutual. According to The Daily Mail. the Brazilian midfielder agreed a five-year extension to his current deal in October 2023, which included a £100m release clause.

However, according to Spanish media outlet Sport, the contract included another clause that could allow him to make a dream move to the Nou Camp for a much lower figure, believed to be around the £60m mark.

Earlier this month, Magpies boss Eddie Howe conceded that he could not rule out any of his players leaving during the January transfer window. As cited by TEAMtalk, during a press conference Howe said: “I can’t offer any assurance on [not selling Guimaraes and others]. Regardless of our Financial Fair Play situation or financial situation that would be the case because you can never tell what is going to happen in football.”