Chelsea have enquired about Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, according to the Evening Standard.
The Lowdown: Guimaraes in demand
Blues owner Todd Boehly is looking at adding to his £253.8m summer spending in January with the Magpies ace garnering strong interest from the Blues.
The Brazilian only joined the Toon in January in a deal worth an initial £35m but after seven goals and three assists in just 26 league games, he’s made himself a household name in English football.
Understandably, Newcastle do not want to sell their star and plan to offer him a new deal to warn off interest.
The Latest: Hands off
The Evening Standard revealed an update on the interest in the 24-year-old and they claim that Cheslea have made an enquiry to Newcastle over a potential move for Guimaraes, sparked by rival interest from European giants and LaLiga leaders Real Madrid.
The Magpies are plotting to offer the Brazilian international a new deal worth £200k-per-week in a bid to keep him at St James’ Park and their wealthy Saudi-led owners are unlikely to be open to selling anytime soon, and they won’t need to financially either.
The Verdict: Can’t see it happening
A move for the Magpies star seems almost impossible in the coming January window, with the Brazilian only joining the Saudi-backed side ten months ago and penning a four-and-a-half-year contract.
In addition to newly appointed sporting director Dan Ashworth not wanting to see one of the catalyst for the Toon’s rise up the table leave so early, he’s set to entice him with a new bumper deal seeing the ace’s wages potentially soar from his current £46k-per-week, with talkSPORT pundit Danny Murphy saying they must ‘nail him down’ to a new contract.
However, if a deal was to be on the table, Boehly should definitely cough up the asking price for the star Murphy claims has “got everything”, his influence is huge with him ranking in the top 14% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for progressive passes with 4.9 per 90 and the top 11% of dribbles completed with 1.79 per 90, (via FBref) highlighting his importance to Eddie Howe’s side in creating chances and carrying the Magpies up the pitch.
He also has a colossus defensive presence, being in the top 2% for tackles per 90 with 3.55, and the top 7% for blocks with 1.76 per 90, leading him to be compared by the statistical data website to N’Golo Kante.
With the ability on the ball to be a key creative player for Graham Potter’s side he’s shown for the European football hopefuls that he enjoys the dogged work, potentially being a long-term successor to the Frenchman in the new era at Stamford Bridge.
