Bruno Guimaraes joins Newcastle after completing a medical in Brazil on Friday ahead of his £40m move from Lyon; no release clause has been inserted into Guimaraes' deal; Arsenal were interested in Guimaraes, who has been watched by Man Utd and PSG
Sunday 30 January 2022 19:04, UK
Newcastle have signed midfielder Bruno Guimaraes from Lyon for £40m.
Guimaraes, 24, completed a medical in Brazil on Friday ahead of signing a contract until 2026.
Newcastle agreed a package of £33.3m plus around £6.5m in add-ons with French club Lyon to make the midfielder their third signing this January, following the arrivals of Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood.
The Magpies are spreading the payments over the next four years. They will pay Lyon around £3.25m if they stay up this season, with another £3.25m due if they stay up again next season.
There is no relegation release clause in the deal Newcastle have agreed with the player.
Newcastle head of recruitment Steve Nickson had travelled to Brazil to seal the signing of Guimaraes.
The midfielder will play for Brazil on Wednesday and will not be able to travel to the UK to meet his new team-mates and head coach Eddie Howe until Thursday at the earliest.
Arsenal were among a number of clubs interested in signing Guimaraes, who has also been watched closely by Manchester United and PSG.
Guimaraes will wear the 39 shirt at Newcastle - the number of his father's taxi, which he drives in Brazil.
It is the same number he had at Lyon.
Guimaraes, who has been capped three times at international level by Brazil, comes into his own when his attacking qualities are examined. Not limited to merely carrying out defensive midfield duties, he is as effective in the opposition half and attacking areas, if not more effective.
Guimaraes tops the ranking in Ligue 1 this season for passes completed in the opposition half and sits joint-top with Marseille's Dimitri Payet for passes completed in the final third.
For context, Paris Saint-Germain's attacking stars, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi, rank fourth and fifth, respectively, for this metric.
The ability to find defence-splitting passes is illustrated by his high number of completed passes and chances created, while Guimaraes' fouls won, and touches statistics show there are few more effective carriers of the ball than the Brazilian currently playing in France.
When you combine Guimaraes' attacking and defensive qualities it's clear Newcastle have identified a midfielder with genuine box-to-box qualities, a rare find at the best of times, let alone during a notoriously difficult January window which could be the difference between Premier League safety and relegation.
Newcastle have agreed a fee of £13m with Brighton for defender Dan Burn.
The defender is set to travel to the North East to undergo a medical. Newcastle had a second bid of £10m plus add-ons for Burn rejected on Saturday.
The Magpies have wanted to sign a left-footed centre-back all window to partner Jamaal Lascelles.
But they have so far failed in their attempts to sign Sven Botman, Diego Carlos and Benoit Badiashile, making Burn a top target in the final days of the window.
The 29-year-old has entered the final 18 months of his Brighton contract. Burn, who joined Brighton from Wigan in 2018, can also play left-back. The Seagulls are extremely unlikely to sign a replacement centre-back this window.
The clock is ticking. Who will be on the move before the transfer window closes at 11pm on Monday January 31?
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