Manchester City enquired about another midfielder before the Premier League giants brought Tijjani Reijnders to the club in June.
Pep Guardiola was keen to add four to five new faces to his squad ahead of City travelling to the FIFA Club World Cup, and the hierarchy at the Manchester club delivered the legendary coach Reijnders, among several other stars.
Reijnders has been a big hit at Man City ever since he arrived from AC Milan, with the Dutch star already a crucial member of Guardiola’s squad, having started every Premier League game so far, producing a goal and two assists.
However, that transfer may not have happened had Man City got their way when they made a move for a Premier League midfielder, only for the player to turn down the Manchester club’s advances.
Man City enquired about Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes
Heading into the summer transfer window, Man City were reportedly ready to spend £100m on Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes as Guardiola was keen to strengthen his midfield and is a fan of the Brazilian star.
Guimaraes is a big admirer of Guardiola, but the legendary coach’s presence at Man City was not enough for the midfielder to leave Newcastle, as the 27-year-old rejected the advances of the Premier League giants in June.
According to The Chronicle, Newcastle United fended off an enquiry from Man City for Guimaraes in June, which came from intermediaries on the agent circuit ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup.
The Magpies batted away the interest as they understood that the Brazil international was happy on Tyneside and open to future contract negotiations further down the line.
Unlike Alexander Isak, Guimaraes nailed his colours to the mast at Newcastle and told those around him he was committed for the 2025/26 season ahead, which all but ended Man City’s chances of bringing the player to the Etihad Stadium.
As a result, the Manchester club completed the signing of Reijnders, and it is fair to say everything worked out for every party in the end.
Bruno Guimaraes’ record vs Manchester City
Although Guimaraes is happy at Newcastle, a move to Man City would have eliminated one of the toughest games in the calendar for the 27-year-old.
The Brazilian does not have a good record against Guardiola’s team, having only won two of the 10 matches he has played against the Manchester club, drawing two, and losing the remaining six.
Within those contests, Guimaraes produced just one assist, which came in the dramatic 3-2 defeat at St James’ Park during the 2023/24 campaign.
This is a record the Newcastle star will not want to spend long looking at, and it could have been halted had he decided he wanted to move to Man City during the summer.
