Bruno Guimaraes Newcastle United shock transfer twist amid £100m claim

Newcastle United are preparing for life without £100million maestro Bruno Guimaraes, according to reports. The Brazilian penned a contract extension in October, keeping him tied down at St James’ Park until 2028. He reportedly became the best-paid player in Newcastle’s history - earning a reported £180,000 per week.

But fans remain fearful of losing their talismanic midfielder as he has a £100million release clause in his contract. NewcastleWorld understands that clause is not exclusive to any club and a Premier League outfit could trigger the deal.

Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona are two clubs linked with the 26-year-old but Liverpool - playing without a deep-lying playmaker for most of the season - have also been mentioned. Reporter Pete O’Rourke has revealed he expects Guimaraes to be sold this summer, freeing up coffers for Newcastle to splash the cash.

Newcastle are approaching their ceiling when it comes to Financial Fair Play, with CEO Darren Eales admitting they may need to sell to create “headroom” on their balance sheet. Guimaraes - alongside star striker Alexander Isak - is the most valuable asset in United’s squad.

"If you are churning players you create more headroom," Eales said. "We have seen lots of examples of this elsewhere. (Philippe) Coutinho at Liverpool and they brought in Allison and Virgil Van Dijk. (Jack) Grealish going from Aston Villa and they have reinvested and reloaded.

"Decan Rice at West Ham, it's just the nature of the beast. If you trade players on it creates more headroom. You have to keep growing that headroom, increasing commercial revenue and player trading."