Barcelona open to selling superstar to fund move for £100 million Newcastle United midfielder

Even though the summer transfer window is a long way away, the rumour mill is already abuzz with speculations surrounding FC Barcelona and their plans to strengthen the squad for next season.

It is no secret that the reigning champions of La Liga are eager to bolster their midfield department next year, with reports suggesting that they are particularly looking for a profile similar to former star Yaya Toure.

And, one of the players on the radars of the Blaugrana is Newcastle United midfield hero Bruno Guimaraes. The Brazilian has been a subject of interest from the Catalans for some time now and it appears that plans are being made to pull the trigger on a move next summer.

Barcelona prepared to sell Lewandowski to fund Guimaraes move

Indeed, as per Jacque Talbot on Football Transfers, Barcelona are prepared to offload superstar striker Robert Lewandowski in order to fund a move for Bruno Guimaraes in the summer window.

Lewandowski has not had the best of seasons so far at Barça, with his performances being questioned of late.

As such, reports have emerged claiming that the Catalans would not be opposed to the idea of selling the 35-year-old Poland captain next summer. The idea would be to install Vitor Roque as the first-choice striker in that scenario.

Considering that the ex-Bayern Munich hitman is also one of the highest earners in the squad, his exit would also free up significant salary space.

Lewandowski has attracted interest from Saudi Arabia and Barça believe his departure could open the doors for them to go after their preferred targets, such as Guimaraes.

Guimaraes has a £100 million release clause

The aforementioned report goes on to claim that Guimaraes has a release clause worth £100 million in the new contract he signed with Newcastle United earlier this year. The clause is accessible to all clubs, be it from the Premier League or outside.

Furthermore, the Brazilian is reportedly furious with the Magpies’ exit from the Champions League last night. He dreams of constantly playing in Europe’s premier competition and if Newcastle do not qualify for next season, he could open the doors for an exit.

The report further adds that as much as Guimaraes loves playing for Newcastle under Eddie Howe, he would not be opposed to the idea of moving to Spain, particularly Barcelona.

There’s still a long way to go for the summer window and a lot of things can change by then. For now, it appears that Guimaraes is one of the players that Barça are interested in.