Newcastle United star pictured with Premier League ace as surprise transfer link re-emerges

Newcastle United star Bruno Guimaraes was seen bantering with transfer target and West Ham United man Lucas Paqueta once again this week.

The Magpies have long been linked with the Brazilian and seemed a likely destination for the star before he signed at the London Stadium just before the close of the transfer window last summer. Shortly before making that move, Paqueta had been seen visiting Newcastle to see Guimaraes and even sported the famous black-and-white shirt for a kickabout in the garden.

The 25-year-old still have four years left on his contract at West Ham and is considered a key player at the club after a promising opening season that culminated in the Europa Conference League win. David Moyes is also about to lose midfielder Declan Rice to Arsenal, making Paqueta an even more vital cog in his Hammers machine.

Nonetheless, it's not stopped Newcastle United being linked with a sensational move for the Brazilian ahead of returning to the Champions League next season.

Last month Spanish outlet Fichajes reported that Eddie Howe was looking at moving in for Paqueta with a £63 million price tag on his head. Those links were before the confirmed signing of Sandro Tonali, who seems to have filled a midfield gap that Howe was looking to bolster.

Nonetheless, Guimaraes and Paqueta are clearly still thick as thieves and any transfer move from Newcastle United in years to come would no doubt be bolstered by the temptation of uniting the Brazilian midfielders.

This week, the stars' former clubs Flamengo and Athletico-PR met in the Quarter Final of the Copa do Brasil. Flamengo, Paqueta's first club, won that meeting 2-1 and the Hammers man bantered with Guimaraes gloating about the result and asking if he was watching. The Newcastle United man replied warning Paqueta not to get too ahead of himself with another leg to play.

Paqueta came through the Flamengo youth system and made his debut for the first team in March 2016. He enjoyed an impressive three years in the side before joining AC Milan in 2019.

Guimaraes honed his trade in the youth academy of Brazilian side Audax and made his professional debut there, but his breakthrough would come at Athletico-PR, where he impressed before making his move to Lyon in 2020 - where he teamed up with Paqueta.