European giants want 26-year-old Newcastle player and could offer £55m player in exchange

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Barcelona are targeting Newcastle United star Bruno Guimaraes in what could be a potential player exchange deal.

The midfielder has very recently signed a new deal with the Magpies until 2028, and the club are unlikely to sell to anyone for less than £100m.

Mundo Deportivo are now reporting that Barcelona may look to use someone like Raphinha in an exchange deal to capture the Brazilian international next summer.

Barcelona set their sights on Bruno Guimaraes

Barcelona are one of a handful of clubs who could tempt Bruno away from Newcastle where he has become a cult hero for his passion and pride when playing in a black and white shirt.

However, they are in a difficult situation financially and therefore wouldn’t be able to afford the staggering fee that Newcastle are likely to demand for the former Lyon man.

Instead, what the Spanish giants could propose is a player exchange deal for someone who Newcastle have previously admired and could be a huge signing for the club.

Raphinha’s name has been suggested as the player going in the other direction with Newcastle recruits impressed with his performances at Leeds before he made the £55m move to Catalonia.

Raphinha, who joined Barcelona last summer, has previously been described as ‘unbelievable’ during his time in the Premier League and would transform Newcastle’s attack into one of the most threatening front three’s in the division.

Newcastle cannot afford to lose Brazilian star

Newcastle have a terrible record when Bruno Guimaraes has been injured or suspended. They have failed to win any of the eight Premier League games that he has missed, with the latest being a 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth at the weekend.

It’s not to suggest that Newcastle will struggle to win another game should he leave for Barcelona in the next 12 months, but they have to find a way of playing well without Bruno or find a suitable midfielder who can step in and replicate his form.

One positive that could be said about the potential sale of the £40m signing is that Newcastle would be able to recoup a tremendous amount of money and reinvest it into the squad to give them a huge boost to qualify for the Champions League once again.

If the sale of Allan Saint-Maximin for £23m in the summer can unlock the door for signing the likes of Tino Livramento, then who knows what the club could do with a fee of over £100m.