Eddie Howe hails Bruno Guimaraes transfer clause and fires ultimatum to Man City and PSG
Brazilian Bruno Guimaras is in demand but a clause in his new contract means rivals like PSG and Manchester City have to get their £100m business done quickly or lose our in a clever move
Eddie Howe has fired a warning to PSG and Man CIty to pay up £100m for Bruno Guimareas BEFORE the end of June or back off.
The Newcastle boss has revealed the Brazilian midfielder has a release clause that clubs can trigger from the end of May to the end of June. Guimaraes is on the summer target list of City and the French giants, and Howe admits he can’t predict the future of either Guimaraes or Alexander Isak, but is desperate to keep them both.
However Howe says Newcastle are NOT in the position to sign “elite, ready made” stars this summer. And he says he has one eye on having to “fight, live again, and create a slightly different team” should he lose a big name.
Howe said: “I’m aware of his contractual status, but it’s not something I focus on. Having that was well planned and structured by the club, in a sense that there is a finish point.”
“We don’t want the constant speculation, I don’t think that’s healthy for the player or for us. When it’s something you don’t necessarily have control over, I don’t tend to worry about (the speculation linking him with moves). It goes without saying what my thoughts on the Bruno situation are.
“We want to keep him, we want to build our team around him and he’s an integral part of what we are doing. His form has been very good. He seems very happy and settled. He will be thinking about a busy summer ahead and where we can hopefully take the team. He is a big part of that. We are not in control of that, so we shall see.”
Isak is a target for Arsenal and Barcelona but the Toon want to keep him as well. The reality of the Saudi PIF ownership is different from the expectation. Owner Amanda Staveley said last year the club wanted to win everything within five to ten years.
But The Saudis have not pumped in the expected millions in sponsorship deals yet. Howe admitted: “We can’t sign ready made elite players. We have to be slightly different to clubs we are in and around.
“The only frustrating thing for me is when the outside expectations aren’t linear with what is the reality of what you are working with, then you become a little bit frustrated because expectation and talk and all the rumours that we are supposed to be signing these players, it lifts expectation but the reality has been different for us.
“These ‘big names’ are the talk of everything but I don’t know what’s going to happen this summer. I can’t predict the future but whatever happens, we can fight, live again and create a slightly different team.
“That might be what we have to do but it’s certainly not what I want to do. I want to make minimal changes but changes that can transport us forward. We just have to adjust when it happens.
“Where we sit now, both in terms of wages and transfer fees, I don’t think we are in a position to do that. We have to sign and develop those players. We have to sign players with the potential to become world class.
“It doesn’t mean you can’t have them existing in your squad. It means you have to work really hard with them. That is what we’ve always done so I have no issue doing it.
“The supporters have been really understanding. The more you see other clubs operate as well, we are not exclusively in this position.
“A lot of other clubs are where we are where financial restrictions are limiting our ability to do certain things that we would want to do. We are getting to that. The whole of football is getting used to that and every club is reacting within their own means.”
Newcastle play Sheffield United on Saturday needing a win to bolster their hopes of playing in Europe next season. Howe added: “The players know any form of European qualification would be a success.
“We want the bigger, better competition. If we can achieve European competition we go into next season with hope and optimism. It should all be positive.”
