Soccer Football - Premier League - Newcastle United v Everton - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - October 19, 2022 Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes celebrates after the match REUTERS/Scott Heppell EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
Chris Waugh has admitted that while Newcastle United want Bruno Guimaraes to sign a new contract, nothing positive appears to be imminent.
The Lowdown: Interest is starting to grow
Guimaraes was very forthcoming in his praise for Pep Guardiola following Newcastle’s defeat against the champions last weekend, which may well have sent alarm bells ringing amongst the fans about what the future holds for their star midfielder.
However, in the last few days, he’s been speaking about wanting to write his name into the history books of Newcastle, which shows how committed he appears to be to succeed on Tyneside.
Newcastle will likely have to keep growing and developing with Guimaraes, as he is attracting interest from Real Madrid, so silverware and Champions League football must start arriving pretty soon, or hopes of him committing his long-term future will only be a pipe dream.
The Latest: Nothing imminent on the contract front
While speaking on Pod on the Tyne, Waugh claimed that nothing positive is likely to emerge any time soon in regard to Guimaraes committing his long-term future to Newcastle.
He said: “Newcastle want to tie him down longer-term, want to improve his terms, but that hasn’t yet reached a positive conclusion as far as we are aware.
“But Bruno was asked by us before the [Sport Journalist Awards] how he felt about his time at Newcastle and his future, and he basically said that he came to Newcastle – he described it as he wants to write his name into Newcastle United’s story.
“And to do that, he knows he has to win – he calls titles, but he means trophies in general – and he thinks Newcastle will be a giant in world football.
“So the strong suggestion from him was that, ‘I don’t want to go anywhere, certainly not before we do actually win something’.”
The Verdict: Newcastle must get Guimaraes tied down
When Newcastle beat off competition from the likes of Juventus and Arsenal to land Guimaraes over 12 months ago, it will have certainly raised eyebrows – and his performances since then have only gone on to prove how good a midfield operator he is.
Real Madrid wouldn’t be interested in Guimaraes if he wasn’t a genuine talent, and while he does have a contract until the summer of 2026, Newcastle will know that improving his terms and matching his ambitions on the pitch is what will see him extend his stay.
Newcastle have already made a huge step forward with Guimaraes in their team, having gone from relegation strugglers to Carabao Cup finalists and top-four hopefuls, and though this will excite Guimaraes, silverware is what all players crave.
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