Newcastle United answer new Bruno Guimaraes release clause fear as Man City & Arsenal watch

The midfielder has linked up with his Magpies’ teammates after being granted extra time off following his involvement at the Copa America with Brazil.

Newcastle have two pre-season friendlies in Japan this week, playing Urawa Reds in Saitama on Wednesday and Yokohama F.Marinos at Japan National Stadium on Saturday.

And Guimaraes is expected to get his first minutes of pre-season alongside other returning internationals such as Fabian Schar and Miguel Almiron.

Howe told reporters in Tokyo: “Delighted to get Bruno back, I think it always give you a boost when you get the international players back and suddenly we've got more players in training.

“We've been relatively low numbers until today really, we've had relatively low numbers until today and this is the first day seeing the group at its strongest and you see the quality return.”

It’s the first time Guimaraes has been back with the Newcastle’s squad since his release clause expired at the end of June.

The 26-year-old has been linked with the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal but will stay at St James’ Park with zero plans to see him.

“From Bruno's perspective, the release clause was never on my mind and I don't think it was on his mind either,” Howe added.

“But of course it was there and we're delighted it's passed with nothing happening. Now we can focus on him being at Newcastle and hopefully have another season like he did last year.”

In a further boost to United, Howe also played down fears that Guimaraes’ release clause could come back into play next summer. Howe added: “I don't think so but I'm not 100% certain.” 

Guimaraes is already a cult hero at Newcastle after joining from Lyon in January 2022. His arrival coinceded with the club’s rise from battling relegation to qualifying for the Champions League, all in the space of eight months.

Konnichiwa! Newcastle United are in Japan - and so too are NewcastleWorld!

Our Newcastle United writer Jordan Cronin is there all week, providing coverage of the tour, behind the scenes video and analysis from Tokyo. 

And we’re proud to announce that our Newcastle United coverage of the tour has a sponsor! Every story from Japan is sponsored by Mobility Care Solutions Ltd, with the shop’s official mascot Murphy!

For more information on Mobility Care Solutions Ltd click this link.