Newcastle United ‘rejected’ club record £100m bid from Premier League rival

Newcastle United reportedly rejected a club record fee of around £100m from a fellow Premier League rival in the closing stages of the window.

The Magpies are preparing for their first Champions League campaign in over 20 years and were determined to strengthen their team in a bid to juggle the demands of European and domestic football.

High profile signings such as Harvey Barnes, Sandro Tonali, Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall all arrived on Tyneside, while the North East giants lost just one first team regular in mercurial French talent Allan Saint-Maximin. But Newcastle were hit with a blockbuster bid by Premier League rivals Liverpool for Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, according to reports from Spanish outlet AS.

The 25-year-old has received criticism from some sections of the Newcastle fan base for his early season form, but  was viewed as one of the club’s star performers in their fourth place finish last season.

Guimaraes also played a defining role in helping the club to survive in the Premier League when he first arrived at SJP from Lyon for £33m.

The midfielder has established himself as a regular member of the Brazil team under the guidance of Eddie Howe and he even represented his country at the 2022 World Cup.

Such impressive form garnered interest from Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool who were faced with a summer rebuild in the midfield after the controversial departure of Jordan Henderson and the loss of experienced players such as ex-Magpie James Milner and Fabinho.

The Reds lost out on their pursuits of Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo who both chose a move to West London over Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Guimaraes was a top target and Liverpool even registered a club-record bid of £100m for the player, which surpassed their existing record fee of £75m for Virgil Van Dijk.

However, the player remains a key part of Eddie Howe’s team at Newcastle and he has started all of his side's Premier League games this season.

The midfielder appears to be committed to life in the North East and he recently shared a post on social media which celebrates his wife’s pregnancy.

Guimaraes posted: “How we dream about this moment more! Increasing our family & our happiness! Thank you my God for all the blessing and accomplishments.”