Lyon have categorically denied accepting a transfer offer from Newcastle for Bruno Guimaraes.
Reports on Wednesday afternoon suggested the French side had accepted a £30million bid from the Premier League strugglers for the midfielder, 24.
Lyon, though, have quashed rumours of Guimaraes' departure with a blunt statement on their official website.
"Olympique Lyonnais categorically denies the false information disseminated by many media reporting an agreement between Newcastle and OL for the transfer of Brazilian international midfielder Bruno Guimaraes," read a club statement.
"In this transfer window period where the slightest rumor is often presented as reality, Olympique Lyonnais reminds that only information officially released by the club is to be taken into consideration."
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Guimaraes was set to undergo a medical on Wednesday ahead of a transfer. Newcastle have rescheduled this for Friday in the hope they can agree a fee with Lyon.
A number of clubs - including Arsenal, Paris Saint-German and Manchester United - have been linked with the three-cap Brazil international.
Guimaraes is an integral part of Peter Bosz's Lyon side, making 25 appearances in all competitions this season.
"He has real importance to the team game," said Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar when asked about Guimaraes in March 2020, as quoted by Get French Football News.
"He puts in a lot of effort, he pushes between the lines and constantly offers solutions for our defenders. His presence is doing us a lot of good.
"Since he has installed himself as the defensive midfielder, it allows me to not necessarily have to come too deep to pick up balls... the whole team game is more fluid with him."
Newcastle are keen to bolster their squad ahead of the transfer deadline on Monday, having already signed Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood.
The Magpies are currently 18th in the Premier League - one point behind Norwich - and are in serious danger of suffering relegation.
"We're looking at a huge list of names," revealed Newcastle manager Eddie Howe in his most recent transfer update.
"But even when the list is big, it still doesn't mean that you're guaranteed to get one of those players over the line because you've got to remember this is, in my opinion, the best league in the world.
"The number of players that can come in and make your team better makes it a very small pond that we're fishing in with the availability issues that we'll have in this window compared to the summer.
"I think that's what people have to understand. The transfer window and the hype that is created around it sometimes is bigger than the actual reality.
"You just need to keep everything into perspective. In some cases you can bid whatever you want and the player isn’t for sale. Sometimes money isn’t the issue here.
"Talk about panic is an absolutely valid question in the sense that sometimes, if you dip below the line in terms of a player who you think can improve the group and then end up with someone that hasn’t, you’re in a worse position than when you started.
"That’s the crucial thing for us to remember at all times."
