Barcelona are eyeing Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes for the summer transfer window after making the signing of a defensive midfielder a priority.
That’s according to Sport, who say the Newcastle man is one of several options on the list for Barcelona director of football Deco.
They explain that Barcelona have made a signing in that area a ‘total priority’ and there is a list of options being considered, with the Newcastle star very much on it.
The big problem is that they are limited in what they can spend due to financial and Financial Fair Play limitations so those in charge are currently looking at a budget of €35-40m, with the latter very much a hard, upper limit.
The plan is to reduce the cost somewhat by convincing the player to sign a long-term deal so they can dodge FFP as much as possible.
They believe that despite Guimaraes having been ‘listed on the market’ by Newcastle they are unlikely to accept a ‘low cost’ operation any time soon, despite an admitted need to perhaps sell their big names to help balance their books.
Interestingly, a report in January claimed that Guimaraes actually has an agreement in his contract that meant his €116m release clause could be paid in three instalments, with the first worth €38.6m.
That was followed by another report from Brazil claiming that Guimaraes has an agreement with Newcastle to let him leave for Barcelona or Real Madrid, and the Magpies would accept a deal worth around €80m.
Perhaps Barcelona are looking to take advantage of both of those things, particularly the former as it would help the midfielder fit into the restrictive budget.
It’s a situation to keep an eye on over the next few months, with Barcelona desperate for a midfielder and Deco working on their list.
