Eddie Howe admits he is unsure if Bruno Guimaraes will remain at Newcastle as Arsenal reportedly prepare a £70 million move for the Brazilian midfielder.
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has admitted he cannot guarantee Bruno Guimaraes will remain at St James’ Park, with Arsenal reportedly stepping up their pursuit of the Brazilian midfielder during the summer transfer window.
The Premier League champions are believed to have submitted a £70 million offer for Guimaraes, who has emerged as one of Mikel Arteta’s top transfer targets after Arsenal decided against matching Chelsea’s record-breaking £117 million move for England forward Morgan Rogers.
Guimaraes is currently enjoying a holiday following Brazil’s disappointing World Cup campaign, which ended in a last-16 defeat to Norway earlier this month. The 28-year-old is expected to report back to Newcastle on Friday before the squad travels to Spain for its pre-season training camp.
Despite the growing speculation, Howe revealed he has maintained regular contact with the midfielder throughout the summer but remains uncertain about how the situation will unfold.
“We don’t want to lose our best players,” Howe said after Newcastle’s 1-1 pre-season draw against Gateshead. “I’ve spoken to him as I would do. Bruno is just a fantastic person. We’ve had some really good conversations before the World Cup, during the World Cup and after the World Cup.”
The Newcastle boss acknowledged that the midfielder’s future may ultimately be decided away from the training ground. “I don’t know what’s going to happen with Bruno’s future. That’s for other people to speculate about, but also conversations that I’m not part of,” he added.
Howe is understandably wary after Newcastle endured a similar situation last summer, when striker Alexander Isak refused to participate in the club’s pre-season preparations before eventually completing a move to Liverpool following a lengthy transfer saga.
For now, however, Howe remains optimistic that Guimaraes will stay at Newcastle, insisting the club’s captain remains central to his plans. “There’s nothing to say Bruno won’t be back training with us. Bruno is the captain of our football club. He’s been an unbelievable player and person throughout the time we’ve worked together. Everyone at the football club absolutely loves him, and of course, we all want him to stay.”
