Newcastle United do not want to sell Bruno Guimaraes this summer but the club have to prepare to react to the worst case transfer scenario. Guimaraes has informed Newcastle he wants to leave the club to join Arsenal this summer but the Magpies remain adamant he is not for sale.
There has been no club to club contact between the Gunners and Newcastle and United feel the whole saga has been agent-led, with the public posturing threatening to take on another Alexander Isak-type situation which ultimately led to the Swede going on strike to force a move to Liverpool. There has been no suggestion Guimaraes will follow that lead, and he is said to respect Newcastle will only sell at a price that is right to them.
Danilo - Botafogo
A report in the Athletic claimed Newcastle's list of alternatives included compatriots of Guimaraes who had previously played in English football. So by putting two and two together, Botafogo's Danilo could well be a candidate. He spent two-and-a-half seasons at Nottingham Forest, tellingly while Ross Wilson was the Reds' sporting director, before returning to his homeland last summer in a £20million move.
Since then, he earned a place in Brazil's World Cup squad, featuring in four of their five matches before they were beaten by Norway in the last 16 last weekend, and Botafogo had resisted selling him before the tournament in the hope his value would rise. The Brazilian club expect a sale this summer and it could be an option Newcastle pursue should Guimaraes leave. Manchester United are among the clubs to have been credited with an interest in the 25-year-old.
Adam Wharton - Crystal Palace
This would be an expensive option, maybe even too far out of Newcastle's price range, but Wharton would be a dream replacement and a real statement of intent. He would also be one of the most like for like replacements the Magpies could target, with DataMB's player similarity tool generator bringing up Wharton as one of the top five players with similar characteristics in Guimaraes across Europe's top seven leagues.
The England international still has three years on his deal at Selhurst Park and has been an integral part of the side who won the FA Cup and UEFA Conference League in the last two seasons. The 22-year-old would likely command a £100million transfer fee given the fees that have already been paid for Elliot Anderson and Sandro Tonali this month.
Joao Gomes - Wolves
An affordable option could be Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes, who despite their relegation last season has impressed at Premier League level across the last four seasons. So much so that Atletico Madrid are keen to sign the Brazil international with a fee of around £40million deemed enough to prise the 25-year-old away from Molineux this summer.
Felix Nmecha - Borussia Dortmund
Nmecha is a player Eddie Howe has loved for years, dating back to when he scored for Borussia Dortmund against Newcastle at St James' Park back in 2023. The 25-year-old is fresh off impressing for Germany at the World Cup, despite their premature exit from the competition, and would be seen as the ideal replacement.
Any deal would be expensive, though. Reports of a £70million release clause in his contract are correct but sources in Germany suggest that doesn't actually come into effect until next summer, with the value decreasing each year of his contract, which expires in 2030, beyond that. As such, Dortmund are in a position to command an astronomical fee for a player who has also attracted interest from Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Liverpool. Nmecha's arrival would bring the added bonus of him going towards Newcastle's homegrown quota as he came through Manchester City's academy.
Archie Gray - Tottenham Hotspur
Newcastle are known to have monitored Gray, and like the player, but talk they had made a bid for him last week was swiftly denied. Even still, the 20-year-old has a lot of qualities to like and already has vast experience at Leeds United as well as in North London. Any deal would be expensive, given his best years are ahead of him and he still has four years on his contract at the club.
