Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe is keeping cool amid the swirling transfer rumours around star player Bruno Guimaraes. Arsenal are just one of the sides linked with the player, but football.london understands that it is unlikely he moves to north London in the summer.
The 26-year-old has caught the eye of other top teams such as Manchester City and Paris Saint Germain after shining brightly since his arrival at St James’ Park, though, and he is thought to have a hefty £100million buy-out clause in his contract that runs until 2028. However, recent reports indicate this clause can only be triggered during a specific period in the summer.
With Newcastle set to face Sheffield United this Saturday, Howe was questioned about the ongoing chatter concerning Guimaraes in his pre-match press conference. The head coach responded: “When it’s something you don’t necessarily have control over, I don’t tend to worry about it.”
Howe didn’t mince his words anymore either. “It goes without saying what my thoughts on the Bruno situation are. We want to keep him, we want to build our team around him and he’s an integral part of what we are doing.”
Howe added: “Bruno’s performances have been top-notch, he’s content and focused, looking forward to a summer where we aim to progress the squad further, and he’s central to our plans”
Acknowledging the unpredictability of the transfer market, he admitted: “We are not in control of that, so we shall see.” The former Bournemouth head coach also tactfully addressed the topic of a release clause. “Having that was well planned and structured by the club, in a sense that there is a finish point,” he said.
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“We don’t want the constant speculation, I don’t think that’s healthy for the player or for us.” Earlier this year the player himself revealed a desire to remain in the northeast. “Sometimes people speak a lot about me,” he told Sky Sports.
“I just speak a lot about football. I’m very happy here and I like how the fans think of me here. Let the people speak. We have to get Europe [football] again, try for Champions League. I know it’s difficult but definitely [we are aiming] for Europa League.
“I enjoy my time here. The fans have been unbelievable for me and my family. I hope this can keep going for a long time.”
Newcastle are still in the mix to get back into Europe, though any hopes of being in the Champions League are all but gone. It comes with pressure on the club to sell players in order to comply with financial regulations.
“It’s difficult to say specifically on certain players, but I can say that if we’re going to get to where we want to get to, at times it is necessary to trade your players,” admitted Newcastle chief executive Darren Eales in January.
“Any decision we make will always be against the backdrop of the medium to long-term benefit for the club. Whether that is because of the contract length of the player in question, the offer is too good to refuse, you need to reload in certain areas, but all of this could make sense to trade that player.
“It is counter-intuitive and part of the inherent system of PSR [Profit and Sustainability Rules] that there is an incentive to trade your players if you want to re-invest.”
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