Pep Guardiola ‘obsessed’ with signing Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes

Reports from England say Newcastle will sell Guimaraes if they receive a bid of £85 million ($164.4 million AUD). 

The 2023/24 Premier League season is coming down to its final stretch. There are just nine weeks left and everything to play for. However, Pep Guardiola may already have his eye on next season and who Manchester City could sign this summer. According to Fichajes in Spain, the Catalan manager is “obsessed” with signing Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes. 

Guimaraes ready to leave Newcastle? 

Bruno Guimaraes was one of the first big signings for Newcastle after the club’s Saudi Arabian takeover. The Magpies bought the Brazilian midfielder for £40 million from Lyon in January 2022. £40 million is a lot to spend on a player, but Guimaraes has been a bargain. 
 
He helped Newcastle qualify for the Champions League last season and has become a regular for Brazil since joining the club. Many people felt Guimaraes outgrew Newcastle in his short half-a-season at the club last season.  
 
Guimaraes was heavily linked to Barcelona, Real Madrid, PSG, and many other European clubs in the 2023 July-August transfer window. Now, it looks like another Premier League club is where he’ll be next season.  

Man City chasing Guimaraes 

According to Fichajes and other top Spanish media outlets, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is “obsessed” with signing Guimaraes. The Cityzens are reportedly willing to bid up to £85 million on the Brazilian midfielder.  
 
Most other reports say £85 million is the minimum it would take to sign Guimaraes. As was the case last summer, Newcastle reportedly have slapped a “Not For Sale” tag on Guimaraes this summer. However, without any European football next season, the Magpies could need to offload some players to raise money and stay FFP compliant.  

Newcastle’s financial problems

Some financial experts believe Newcastle have stretched themselves a bit thin after signing Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali, former Leicester winger Harvey Barnes, young right back Tino Livramento, winger Anthony Gordon, Swedish striker Alexander Isak, and numerous other players in the past 18 months while not selling any players.  
 
According to Transfermarkt, Newcastle have spent nearly £300 million ($580 million AUD) on players since 2022. They’ve raised just £44 million ($98.6 million AUD) through player sales in that same period.   

If Newcastle do stand strong and opt to keep Guimaraes, Manchester City could turn their eyes to another Brazilian midfielder. The Cityzens have been linked to West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta since at least last season.