BARCELONA will switch their sights to Bruno Guimaraes after admitting defeat in their bid to land Bernardo Silva.
The Spaniards spent six months targeting Manchester City star Bernardo, and there were fears he would press for a move to the Nou Camp.
But Barca were priced out by City’s £80million valuation and Guimaraes now tops their wanted list.
The Brazilian only left Lyon for Newcastle in a £35m switch in January, but is already a Toon hero.
In his 27 games for the club, he has already registered seven goals.
While he is expected to feature in Brazil’s World Cup squad in Qatar.
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Newcastle would like to give him a new £200,000-a-week deal and chiefs say they would knock back any Guimaraes bids.
Yet for all their wealth, Toon sporting director Dan Ashworth admitted their £210m spending spree is unsustainable, and they will eventually “have to trade.”
“Absolutely I do not want to sell Bruno,” he told The Times.
“He is a top player and a really important part of this journey. Again, I go back to, we try to manage our talent properly, we try to give them the part of the journey, part of the vision, part of building something and the connecting with the city and the supporters you’ve seen.”
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Now Barca plan to test Newcastle’s resolve.
Guimaraes, himself has revealed he is settled in the North-East and wants to become a club legend.
“I feel at home,” he told Sky Sports.
“The experience I’ve had here has been amazing. Yes, sometimes it can be difficult to leave the house because everybody recognises me!
“But they [the fans] are always so friendly, so loving, not just with me but with everyone in my family. It’s always nice when there are teams looking at you, but my plan is just to do my best at Newcastle. The rest, I leave with my agent.
“I have three or four years of contract left. It’s so long. I swear I’m not thinking about other things. My focus now is just on Newcastle and the World Cup. There is a long way to go. I love playing here, I love to bond with the fans, and I want to become a legend here.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
