Manchester City “prioritizing” Bruno Guimaraes transfer

According to information obtained by Spanish media outlet AS, Manchester City is actively pursuing Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes and “prioritizing” signing the Brazil international to strengthen their midfield lineup next summer.

The report, published on Friday, Mar. 15, ahead of the FA Cup quarter-finals match between both Man City and Newcastle, also mentions other targets in the Cityzens’ radar such as Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich and Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz.

The main reason for this interest is believed to be Pep Guardiola’s intention to find a suitable partner for Rodri, a vital component of Guardiola’s tactics and system of play.

Guardiola praised Bruno ahead of last weekend’s matchup, labeling the Magpie as an “exceptional holding midfielder.” Added Guardiola: “[He’s] aggressive but patient in possession of the ball. I’m sure Newcastle wants to grow and they want to keep Bruno for the next few years while building a competitive team.”

According to AS, Manchester City have already engaged with Bruno’s representatives in a move that made clear there is in fact a strong interest in acquiring the 26-year-old Brazilian from Newcastle.

Man City is prepared to meet the €117m release clause included in Bruno’s contract, and AS revealed that Guardiola’s club is potentially trying to split the payment into three installments of over €39m each.

That said, AS mentions a few other clubs that might enter the race to sign Bruno and make things difficult for Man City to snatch the player from Tyneside. It’s believed that Manchester City will face competition from Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Paris Saint-Germain, with Bruno also reportedly dreaming of playing for Barcelona—although the Catalans are constrained to an €80m transfer budget that will make the operation nearly impossible for them to complete.

Despite only joining the club a year and a half ago, this news of a potential, inevitable exit from Newcastle shouldn’t surprise anyone. Bruno is the best player in the current Magpies squad by a mile and given Newcastle’s need to comply with Financial Fair Play (FFP) and Premier League Profit and Sustainability rules it is very obvious the Tyneside lads will need to complete some sales next summer, as hinted by NUFC CEO Darren Eales a few weeks ago.

Enjoy Bruno while he’s here because it’s looking more and more like his days in Newcastle are accurately numbered.