Bruno Guimaraes became Newcastle's third signing of their crucial January transfer window, joining Chris Wood and Kieran Tripper, respectively, in the north east.
Signed for an initial reported fee of £35 million plus add-ons, Guimaraes will wear the number 39 shirt at Newcastle, the same taxi number his father drove for more than two decades in their hometown of Rio de Janeiro. The midfielder wore the same number at Lyon too.
The 24-year-old started his career with São Paulo-based club Audax, making his debut aged 17 in 2015. He eventually became a regular member of the first team squad at the beginning of 2017, but the club's relegation saw Athletico Paranaense take him on loan for a season in Brazil's Série A.
The Brazilian scored his first senior goal in March 2018, scoring against Rio Branco-PR after making his switch to Athletico Paranaense permanent at the beginning of the year.
French club Lyon swooped for the impressive Guimaraes in January 2020 though, signing him for a reported €20 million on a four-and-a-half-year deal. Reports also suggest Athletico Paranaense will receive 20 per cent of Lyon's fee to Newcastle as part of a sell-on clause.
Likened to Kevin De Bruyne by Brazil's national team manager, Tite, Guimaraes captained his country to the gold medal at last year's Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Tite said: "We lack a midfielder who can distribute balls. Someone like [Paulo Roberto] Falcao in the past. Or like De Bruyne nowadays, capable of bringing more binding, creativity, speed and rhythm. Bruno has enormous potential and can be that player."
Newcastle's high-profile signing has made three appearances for his country, his debut coming against Uruguay in November 2020. In fact, he even signed for Newcastle while away on international duty, with Newcastle's head of recruitment Steve Nickson travelling to Brazil to secure his signature.
Effective at both attacking and defending, Guimaraes completed the most passes in the opposition half in Ligue 1 prior to his move, and is joint-top with Marseille's Dimitri Payet for passes completed in the final third. He is also an excellent ball carrier, and will help Newcastle start attacks from deep via his close-control or perfect passes.
Conversely, Bruno is also proficient defensively, winning 158 duels and tackling 50 times so far this season. A genuine box-to-box midfielder, Guimaraes will undoubtedly add steel and guise to a Newcastle midfield devoid of urgency and much-needed technical ability.
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