Newcastle United are reportedly preparing to hand Bruno Guimaraes a bumper new contract as Chelsea eye a potential bid for the midfielder.
The Brazilian only joined the Magpies in January in a £40million move from Lyon and quickly proved to be one of the signings of the winter window. This season, Guimaraes has started nine games as Eddie Howe 's men have charged into the top four of the Premier League, losing just once.
Despite Newcastle now being backed by the billions of Saudi Arabia's sovereign investment fund, there is concern that he could leave St James Park. A number of top European clubs are becoming increasingly interested in the 24-year-old.
One of those teams is thought to be Chelsea, with Goal Brasil reporting that the Blues are 'studying a proposal' to target him in the January transfer window. An offer has not yet been submitted and they will only push through a deal when the winter window opens.
Making life difficult for Chelsea is the fact that there is no release clause in Guimaraes' contract. That deal still has another four years left to run, putting the Magpies in a strong negotiating position.
Real Madrid are another team who are weighing up making a move, though they have not yet begun a serious pursuit of the Brazilian international. While there appears to be strong interest in him, Newcastle are not ready to let their star midfielder depart any time soon.
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And Goal claim that they are now preparing to offer him a bumper new contract to secure his long-term future. The Magpies are said to be ready to make him the highest paid player in their squad, handing him a wage in the region of £200,000 per week.
They certainly have the money to do that given their Saudi billions and they also received another boost to their hopes of keeping him on Sunday. Guimaraes starred in the win over Tottenham that took Howe's side into the Champions League places.
And following the statement win, the midfielder revealed his happiness with life on Tyneside. His fan-favourite status is one of the reasons for that happiness, which likely means he will be receptive to the offer of a new contract.
"I'm very happy here at Newcastle, they treat me like an idol, I hit a pass from the side and they're already crazy, it's very cool. It's thanks to my effort on the field. I have a big goal for the World Cup, moment of my career", he told ESPN Brasil.
"We have to think big, yes, but the future will be even more beautiful for Newcastle. To build the future, you have to build the present, we are doing that. I believe the next seasons will be Newcastle, what we're doing, but it's just the beginning. For what we're doing so far, we deserve congratulations."
Guimaraes is set to feature on Saturday when Newcastle welcome Aston Villa to St James Park. And he is also hopeful of being included in the Brazil squad for this winter's World Cup in Qatar.
