Newcastle United have worked a strict deadline into Bruno Guimaraes’ £100million contract release clause.
Any clubs looking to trigger the clause must do so before it expires at the end of June. Manchester City, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain have all been credited with an interest in the Brazilian.
Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe confirmed the nature of the release clause in his pre-match press conference on Friday morning.
“I’m aware of his contractual status, but it’s not something I focus on,” Howe said. “Having that [£100million release clause expire at the end of June] was well planned and structured by the club, in a sense that there is a finish point.
“We don’t want the constant speculation, I don’t think that’s healthy for the player or for us.”
Uncertainty will remain around Guimaraes’ future at Newcastle with claims that a ‘verbal agreement’ has been made with the club that would allow the player to talk to any Champions League club who offers more than £80million.
Newcastle have recently secured a new four-year deal with Guimaraes’ compatriot Joelinton with both players now having deals that run until June 2028. The club will also trigger the performance-related obligation to buy clause in Lewis Hall’s loan deal from Chelsea at the end of the season. The Magpies will pay £28million for the 19-year-old this summer, a club record fee for a teenager.
While Howe has said the permanent transfer is nailed on, when asked if Hall had triggered the criteria required to activate the clause, he said: “I'm not aware that he has.”
Newcastle are set to lose players on free transfers at the end of the season with six senior players out of contract as things stand.
The Magpies also have several key players with just over a year remaining on their contract, including Callum Wilson, Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar and Sean Longstaff.
The club’s most valuable assets such as Alexander Isak, Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali all have deals that run until the back end of the decade.
Here are the situations of all of Newcastle’s current contracted players...

1. John Ruddy - 2025
Ruddy joined Newcastle as a free agent following his release from Birmingham City in June 2024. He signed a one-year deal. | Newcastle United Football Club

2. Mark Gillespie - 2025
Mark Gillespie recently agreed a contract extension at Newcastle running until next summer. | Getty Images

3. Jamaal Lascelles - 2025
The Newcastle skipper signed a six-year deal back in 2018 which was due to end in June but an extension was triggered to keep him at the club for another year. | Getty Images

4. Emil Krafth - 2025
Krafth signed an extension at Newcastle last year before picking up a serious knee injury that ruled him out for the majority of the 2022-23 campaign. He has since returned to fitness and made a handful of appearances during the 2023-24 campaign. Another one-year extension has been triggered. | Getty Images
