The Premier League champions could be about to get creative in their quest to plunder a rival
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola(Image credit: Getty Images)
An outlandish swap deal always captures the imagination during the transfer window. Now, Manchester City could be about to get creative in their quest to sign one of the Premier League’s best midfielders.
Newcastle United’s Bruno Guimaraes has been the subject of regular transfer speculation in recent months, with the Magpies standing firm with their valuation of £100million for the Brazil international.
Arsenal have been linked with the 26-year-old, as have Pep Guardiola’s City, who have one eye on the future of 33-year-old Kevin De Bruyne, who has been a target for teams in the Saudi Pro League and MLS of late.
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Guimaraes has been a key player for Newcastle since his £40million arrival from Lyon in 2022 and Toon boss Eddie Howe knows Guimaraes will be key for the Mapgies’ quest to get back into Europe in the upcoming season.
According to the Daily Star, City are reluctant to meet Newcastle’s £100million asking price for the midfielder, valuing him closer to £80million, but this transfer deadlock could be broken by the Premier League champions’ willingness to throw in one of their best young players on loan as a sweetener.
The report claims that City are ready to loan either Rico Lewis or Oscar Bobb to the Magpies next season in order to help facilitate a deal, with Newcastle said to be interested in both players.
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Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes (Image credit: Stu Forster/Getty Images)
While City will not entertain the sale of either 19-year-old Lewis or 20-year-old Bobb, who they see as key to their future, they would be willing to one of them out this season to help bring in a top-class central midfielder.
Lewis, who made his full England debut last season, has racked up 50 appearances for City in all competitions over the past two seasons and is able to operate at both full-back and in midfield, while Bobb broke into City’s first-team picture last term, making 26 appearances mainly from the bench and scoring two goals.
Guimaraes, meanwhile, has been integral for the Magpies over the past two-and-a-half seasons, turning out more than 100 times for the club, scoring 17 goals.
For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team.
