Chelsea face competition from Real Madrid for midfielder Bruno Guimaraes. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
Transfer expert Ben Jacobs has reported that Chelsea and Liverpool inquired over the potential signing of Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United in the recently expired summer transfer window.
It is also understood the midfielder is expected to sign a new contract with the Magpies with a release back clause, which goes against Newcastle’s policy and could allow the Blues to make a move for the Brazilian in the future. Whether we make a renewed approach remains to be seen.
The Blues approached Newcastle but were instantly knocked down by Tyneside, which places the 25-year-old among the most important players. It is surprising we even attempted the same given that we cannot offer him European football this season.
However, it seems unlikely that the Blues would want to try once again to sign Guimaraes given that they already have two defensive midfielders in Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo. We went big for the latter, paying a British record fee. However, unlike the duo, Guimaraes is more of an all-action midfielder.
Anything is possible, though, and if Chelsea offloads other midfielders in January, a different approach might take place. Jacobs has already confirmed the Blues’ query about the midfielder in his exclusive Caught Offside column:
“Bruno Guimaraes is really close to signing a new Newcastle contract extension that could keep him at the club until 2028. With the European window shut, real progress was made last week.”
“Newcastle have always been calm about the situation because Guimaraes is under contract until 2026 as it stands. And Chelsea and Liverpool were both told when they inquired that the Brazilian was not for sale.”
The Brazilian midfielder could have bene subjected to a monster bid had we not acquired Lavia and Caicedo. But since we have solid midfielder depth and we don’t want to overcrowd our squad once more, pursuing him is now meaningless. We may consider signing Guimaraes in the future should an opportunity arise. It would be silly not to.
He would have been a wise acquisition for Liverpool, who needed to upgrade their midfield. On deadline day, though, they decided to purchase Ryan Gravenberch instead. As long as Guimaraes continues to impress, Chelsea are likely to keep an eye on the Brazilian’s progress.
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