Eddie Howe has shared some details about the release clause in Bruno Guimaraes’ contract amid recent transfer interest from Manchester City.
Over the past week, it has been reported that City and Arsenal are interested in signing the Newcastle United midfielder during the upcoming summer transfer window.
Now though, the Magpies manager has spoken out about the Brazilian’s future and a key detail in his current contract at the Tyneside club.
Howe discusses Bruno Guimaraes release clause amid Man City transfer interest
Speaking in his latest press conference, Howe said this about the £100m release clause, which is set to expire at the end of June, in Guimaraes’ contract.
He said: “Having that was well planned and structured by the club, in a sense that there’s a sort of finish point.
“We don’t want constant speculation, it’s not healthy for the player or for us.
“It goes without saying we want to keep him, I want to build our team around him.
“His form has been very good and he seems very happy and settled.
“He’ll be thinking about a very busy summer ahead, where hopefully we can take the team, with him a big part of it. But we aren’t in control of that so let’s see.”
Should City trigger Bruno Guimaraes’ £100m release clause?
Guimaraes joined Newcastle from Lyon during the 2022 January transfer window in a deal worth £40m.
Since then, the midfielder has made 102 appearances for the Toon across all competitions, scoring 14 goals and delivering the same number of assists.
Having started 43 of the 45 games he’s appeared in for his side this season across all competitions, it’s easy to see that Guimaraes is a key player for Newcastle and why Howe hopes he’ll stay at St. James’ Park beyond this season.
Given how the release clause expires only a month after the summer transfer window opens, it isn’t giving the Manchester club much of a window to decide if they want to splash out such a significant fee to add him to their ranks.
However, if the Blues feel that Guimaraes is worth the fee and would be a suitable addition to Pep Guardiola’s squad, they will at least know what they need to do to make a deal happen.
