Eddie Howe breaks silence on Bruno Guimaraes transfer speculation

Newcastle United do not want to lose Bruno Guimaraes, but by Eddie Howe’s own admission, are powerless to stop a club from triggering his release clause.

The Brazilian has been one of the Magpies’ standout performers since he joined from Lyon two-and-a-half-years ago. Becoming the face of the club’s new era following Mike Ashley’s sale, Guimaraes, 26, is already on course to go down as a Geordie legend.

However, despite his status in England’s northeast, the 26-year-old faces an uncertain future with several top clubs interested in luring him away from St. James’ Park.

Newcastle transfer news: Eddie Howe discusses Bruno Guimaraes

Although the South American recently committed his long-term future to the club, his latest deal contains a £100 million release clause and Eddie Howe has spoken out about how that could impact the club’s summer transfer window.

“Having that was well planned and structured by the club, in a sense that there’s a sort of finish point. We don’t want constant speculation, it’s not healthy for the player or for us,” he told reporters as quoted by Sky Sports’ Keith Downie.

“It goes without saying we want to keep him, I want to build our team around him.

His form has been very good — he seems very happy and settled.

He’ll be thinking about a very busy summer ahead, where hopefully we can take the team with him a big part of it. But we aren’t in control of that so let’s see.”

PSG and Real Madrid have been linked with Newcastle’s number 39 in the past with Manchester City emerging as a possible destination in more recent times.

Since joining the club, Guimaraes, who has four years left on his contract, has directly contributed to 28 goals in 102 games in all competitions.