Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes “prefers” a move to Manchester City over Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain, according to GiveMeSport.
The website claims that the Premier League champions are the Brazilian international’s “first choice” if he does leave St James’ Park this summer.
There is currently a £100m release clause active in Guimaraes’s contract, but it will expire in the final week of this month (either June 23rd or June 24th depending on the report you read),
If City do choose to pay the requisite fee, it seems the player will be open to making the switch to the Etihad.
Guimaraes has spoken out about his future
The 26-year-old did not give much away when he was asked whether a transfer this summer is likely. He said his future is “in God’s hands”.
Guimaraes emphasised that he is happy at Newcastle but he stopped short of saying that he would be staying at the Magpies.
Will City pay £100m for the midfielder?
The Cityzens would have to equal their transfer record in order to sign Guimaraes and there are doubts over whether the club are prepared to put that much money on the table.
There is no doubt that Pep Guardiola’s side could do with reinforcing their options in the middle of the park. Kalvin Phillips is set to be sold and there is uncertainty about whether the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Matheus Nunes will stay.
De Bruyne has a year left on his contract and there is no indicationthat he will sign an extension. Nunes, meanwhile, has struggled since his £53m move from Wolves last year and the club are said to be willing to let him go if they receive the right offer.
In that context, spending £100m on Guimaraes may seem like a wise move in order to strengthen a key area of the pitch.