Bruno Guimaraes Has FC Barcelona Only Clause To Leave Newcastle United

Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes has a special clause in his new contract which allows him to join FC Barcelona for a reduced fee, according to SPORT.

The 26-year-old joined the Magpies in the January 2022 transfer window shortly after they had been taken over by the moneyed, Saudi-backed Public Investment Fund (PIF).

In a short time since completing a €42 million ($44 million) move from Lyon, he has become a fan favorite that has returned the northeast English club to the Champions League and a starting Brazil international currently called up by the Selecao for World Cup 2026 qualifiers against Venezuela and Uruguay.

At the start of this month, Guimaraes put members of the Toon Army’s – as Newcastle fans are known – minds at rest by penning a new contract until June 30, 2028.

One cause for concern is a reported £100 million ($121 million) release clause, however, which is achievable by a list of top clubs interested in the Rio de Janeiro native including Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.

According to SPORT, though, that fee lowers to around €65-70 million ($68-73.6 million) thanks to a special clause valid only for Barca – who appear to be the club of Guimaraes’ dreams.

In pre-pandemic times, such a fee would be easily affordable by Barca who regularly paid double for the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho.

In their current economic landscape, however, the amount is described by SPORT as being “near to impossible” to reach though shouldn’t be ruled out if Barca can make player sales.

They could also exploit past reported interest in Raphinha, who Mundo Deportivo reported Newcastle as preparing an €80 million ($84 million) bid for earlier this year.

Other players that could be offloaded or offered to Newcastle include Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres.

Yet with the might of the PIF behind them, ‘the Toon’ aren’t obliged to make concessions to Barca for arguably their best player who has already led them to the cusp of silverware through a Carabao Cup final appearance where they finished runners-up to Manchester United in the spring.