Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes could be leaving Tyneside with talks ongoing over his future.
Since becoming one of Newcastle's first signings following their Saudi takeover, the Brazilian has become somewhat of a legend at St. James' Park, captaining the side in all 38 Premier League games last season, as they once again secured Champions League football.
His good form hasn't gone unnoticed, with clubs across the globe interested in signing the Brazilian, and Newcastle may face a fight to keep him in the coming months.
Club enters talks to sign Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United this summer
Guimaraes was central to Newcastle securing their first silverware in 70 years as he put in a solid performance at Wembley against Liverpool and has represented Brazil 35 times since his debut in 2020, starting all of the games in the 2024 edition of the Copa America.
But the 27-year-old – ranked at no.4 in FourFourTwo's list of the best central midfielders in the world right now – has been linked with moves away from St. James' Park during his rapid rise, with Manchester City most seriously linked.
Now, Newcastle may face a fight to keep their fourth-most expensive signing ever in the coming months with reports that his agent has spoken to Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, who are said to be keen on signing Bruno.
Brazilian outlet UOL, has suggested the Saudi side – who are owned by the Public Investment Fund, the same owners as Newcastle – found out the conditions for a move, but never submitted an official bid.
FourFourTwo understands that currently Guimaraes does not want to leave Newcastle. They recently qualified for the Champions League and, as aforementioned, won the first piece of silverware for the club in over 70 years.
He also believes, should he move to Saudi Arabia, it may hinder his chances of being a starter at the 2026 World Cup. Since Carlo Ancelotti was appointed, he started both games and will be looking to cement his place as Brazil look to win the World Cup again after 24 years.
At FourFourTwo, we also believe he shouldn't leave Europe at this stage of his career. Recently we've seen Bruno Fernandes and Victor Osimhen reject huge offers to continue their career in Europe, and Guimaraes should do the same.
Whilst it shouldn't affect his chances of playing international football, the Champions League is probably the highest level of club football across the world, and testing yourself regularly against players of that standard will help when it comes to the World Cup.
Transfermarkt value him at €80 million, but it would probably take a bid closer to €100 million to pry him away from the Toon Army, and is unclear if any club would be willing to pay that.
