Newcastle United have told Lyon they are prepared to walk away from a potential deal for Bruno Guimaraes should negotiations drag on, according to 90 Min.
What’s the latest Newcastle United transfer news?
Excitement was bubbling on Wednesday with plenty of reports suggesting Newcastle were close to a deal for the Brazilian midfielder having reportedly made him their leading midfield target.
Still, Lyon have since come out and denied a deal has been agreed which, while clearly not enough to completely derail the chase, is likely to frustrate supporters who have seen drawn out sagas involving Sven Botman and Diego Carlos already this month.
Seemingly looking to avoid another situation like that, top brass as St James’ Park are understood to have indicated they want a deal done before the weekend or they are prepared to walk away from the deal.
How good a signing would Guimaraes be?
Obviously, there is no guarantee the 24-year-old would be able to make an instant impact in the Premier League given his lack of experience, but the midfielder’s statistics are hugely promising.
FBREF data notes that Guimaraes ranks within Europe’s leading 84% of central midfielders playing across the big five leagues over the last year for average pass completion rate, passes attempted, progressive passes, progressive carries and dribbles completed per game.
With Newcastle struggling to create from midfield, ranking within the bottom five teams in the Premier League for average pass completion rate and progressive passes per game, he does look like he could answer at least some of the problems.
Is it wise to potentially walk away?
Absolutely.
Of course, it should be a real shame to see a deal collapse but Newcastle do not have much time left in the window and cannot afford to be led up the garden path once again.
If there’s one thing that PIF have largely proven this month, it’s that they refused to be held to ransom.
What has been said about Bruno Guimaraes?
Reacting on Twitter to the potential deal, French football expert Julien Laurens wrote: “I can’t stress enough what a fantastic player he is and what a great coup this is for Newcastle. He will increase the team so much!”
