Newcastle United reportedly intend to fend off any interest in Bruno Guimaraes with the offer of a new contract.
At the start of 2022, the Magpies pulled off one of the best deals of the January transfer window to sign Guimaraes from Lyon.
The acquisition of the Brazilian was regarded as key for Newcastle to make quick progress up the Premier League standings, and the 24-year-old has since emerged as the star man of Eddie Howe's squad.
In 26 appearances in the top flight, Guimaraes has contributed seven goals and three assists, while his overall performances have helped inspire a team now competing for European football.
However, on the flip side to that, Guimaraes is now wanted by many of the top clubs in European football, the player himself already admitting that Real Madrid expressed an interest in the summer.
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More recently, Manchester City and Chelsea have been credited as admirers with the view of trying to sign Guimaraes as soon as January.
Nevertheless, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the North East outfit have no intention of succumbing to any pressure to sell during the upcoming transfer windows.
Newcastle already have Guimaraes tied down to a contract until the end of 2025-26 campaign, and Romano suggests that fresh terms could still be in the offing.
Eddie Howe acknowledged recently that he wanted Guimaraes to become a club legend, telling reporters: "We desperately want him to be happy here and see a long-term vision here, but time will tell on that. We have to build positively. As long as a player sees an ambition in the club, hopefully we can fulfil the needs of everyone here. We are in the early stages of that so we don't want to disturb that.
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"I am new here so I am aware of he Newcastle legends of the past and I want my players to aspire to be the next one and if that is part of his motivation then I am all for it. He has the ability to be one of those players, but he has a long way to get there."
Much may depend on where Guimaraes sees his long-term future with Europa League and Champions League potentially emerging as a pivotal factor.
With 12 matches played in the Premier League, Newcastle currently occupy fourth spot, three points clear of seventh-placed Fulham.
Regardless of Newcastle's stance at the present time, the clubs already mentioned are expected to continue to monitor any developments with his future.
Although Real, City and Chelsea are all well stocked for options in central midfield, they will allegedly be looking to lower their average age in that specific area by the start of 2023-24.
Darren Plant
