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Newcastle United may reportedly be offered a shock swap deal involving Bruno Guimaraes and Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips.
The Lowdown: Contract talks
Newcastle reportedly want to tie Bruno down to a new longer-term contract, with his current deal at St. James’ Park set to expire in 2026.
However, while a new contract has not been signed, the midfielder is sure to attract plenty of interest from some big clubs in the summer, as he has been a standout performer in the Premier League for a Magpies side looking to chase a UEFA Champions League spot for next season.
If they fail to qualify for Europe’s elite competition, then Bruno’s head could well be turned by a club playing in it.
The Latest: Swap with Phillips?
As per The Sunday Mirror (19/03, page 78) via HITC, Man City are interested in signing Bruno this summer, and could offer England international Phillips as part of a shock swap deal.
The deal would be in a part-exchange, as City would also offer £80m up front, while Real Madrid are also thought to be interested in his signature.
The Verdict: Forget it!
Of course, City are offering a lot of money for Bruno as well as a player in exchange, which would equate to the North East club’s biggest sale by far.
However, the Brazil international has shown just how important of a player he is to Eddie Howe‘s side, and if the Tynesiders have any ambitions of catching up to City in terms of success with trophies in their long-term project, then giving them Bruno is simply a no-go.
On the other side, Phillips is certainly a quality midfielder, as journalist Paul Brown has previously hailed him as a ‘Rolls Royce‘. However, he has shown himself to be injury-prone over the last couple of seasons, dating back to his time at Leeds United as well as at the Etihad Stadium.
Nonetheless, Bruno is also a couple of years younger than the 27-year-old at 25, and so has a higher ceiling to reach, and being under contract until 2026, the Toon should be under little pressure to sell him right now.
Overall, the prospect of losing Bruno outweighs the potential of bringing in a large cash sum as well as Phillips, and so the Tynesiders should be looking to walk away from this deal, should it be proposed to them by their rivals City in the summer.
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