Earlier today, some bizarre reports emerged claiming that Newcastle United had offered midfield mainstay Bruno Guimaraes plus €30 million to FC Barcelona to sign Raphinha.
The report came off as quite baffling, considering how crucial Guimaraes is for Eddie Howe’s team. As such, Fabrizio Romano has come out with a fresh update, stating that Newcastle are working hard to renew the Brazilian’s contract as a priority.
That pretty much rules out the possibility of the Magpies having offered the midfield superstar to Barcelona as part of a deal to sign Raphinha.
Guimaraes has been with Newcastle since January last year, having joined from Olympique Lyon. The Brazilian soon became an integral part of the team at St James’ Park and has been crucial to their rise over the past eighteen months or so.
Barcelona, for their part, had shown an interest in his services this summer as part of their search for a replacement for Sergio Busquets. However, his signing was never really considered as a realistic possibility due to his importance in the Newcastle setup and his price tag.
But, the aforementioned report today suggested that the La Liga champions had been offered a chance to sign Guimaraes as part of their efforts to rope in Raphinha.
However, Romano has now pretty much poured cold water on any such possibility, stating that Newcastle consider the midfielder’s contract renewal a priority.
Talks have already taken place with his agent recently and more negotiations are expected soon, with the Premier League side ready to hand him a big increase in salary. So, the possibility of a transfer to Barcelona, at this point, appears non-existent.