Eddie Howe has revealed that the £100million ($123.2m) release clause in Bruno Guimaraes’ Newcastle United contract is only active until June 30.
The 26-year-old is attracting interest from Arsenal, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain ahead of the summer window, but Newcastle are keen to keep hold of the Brazil international.
However, should someone activate Guimaraes’ clause, then Newcastle would be powerless to lose him — but only until the end of June, which means that any Premier League rival who tries to sign him would have to factor the cost into this year’s accounts for their profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) calculation.
“Having that was well planned and structured by the club, in a sense that there is a finish point,” Howe replied, when asked if it was a smart move that Guimaraes’ clause is due to expire on June 30. “We don’t want the constant speculation, I don’t think that’s healthy for the player or for us.”
Alexander Isak is also being linked with a host of clubs heading into the summer window, but Howe is determined to build his team around the pair if the club can keep hold of them.
“When it’s something you don’t necessarily have control over, I don’t tend to worry about that,” Howe said, when asked about speculation. “I think it goes without saying what my thoughts on the Bruno situation are.
“We want to keep him, we want to build our team around him and he’s an integral part of what we are doing.
“His form has been very good. He seems very happy and settled. He will be thinking about a busy summer ahead and where we can hopefully take the team. He is a big part of that. We are not in control of that, so we shall see.”
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(Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)