Newcastle United star Bruno Guimaraes has been the subject of 'interest from big clubs' and the Magpies could look to fend off the South American's suitors by making him the top earner at St James' Park, according to Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie.

The former Lyon man only joined Eddie Howe's side in January, after a £40million deal was concluded, but he has been heavily linked with a host of clubs in recent weeks.

GiveMeSport The Verdict

GiveMeSport The Verdict

What's the latest news involving Guimaraes?

Manchester United have become the latest club to target Guimaraes, having added him to a lengthy shortlist as Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag looks to add a world-class midfielder to his squad next summer.

The 24-year-old has revealed he held conversations with La Liga giants Real Madrid during the latter stages of the summer transfer window, but Newcastle insisted he was not for sale.

It is understood that Chelsea and Liverpool are also keeping tabs on Guimaraes’ situation, but the Magpies are desperate to keep him on board.

Newcastle are reportedly looking to make the central midfielder the highest-paid player in their history by putting a new contract worth £200,000-per-week on the table.

Guimaraes' £120,000-per-week agreement still has just shy of four years to run, but tying him down to fresh terms would send a statement out to his admirers.

Read more: January Transfer Window 2023: When Does It Begin, Rumours and Everything You Need To Know

What has Keith Downie said about Guimaraes?

Downie understands that a number of European heavyweights are monitoring Guimaraes' situation and there were discussions with Real Madrid.

The journalist believes Newcastle could show how desperate they are to keep the eight-cap Brazil international on board by offering a lucrative new deal.

Downie told GIVEMESPORT: "There has been interest from big clubs. Guimaraes mentioned it himself a couple of weeks ago in an interview where he said there had been some contact from Real Madrid in the summer.

"When you've got clubs of that calibre sniffing around, yes, he's one of Newcastle's top earners, but it might become a case of where they want to make him the top earner by some to prove to him how much they want him to stay."

How has Guimaraes performed so far this season?

Newcastle have gone into the break from domestic action sitting third in the Premier League and Guimaraes has been a key reason for their successful start.

He has been productive in the final third of the pitch, registering five goal contributions in 14 appearances, so it should not come as a surprise that he has been included in the Brazil squad for the World Cup.

According to WhoScored, Guimaraes has been Newcastle's second-best performer since the campaign got underway, with Kieran Trippier being the only team-mate to record a better average match rating than his 7.33 in the top flight.

Statistics show he features in the 97th and 88th percentiles for tackles and blocks respectively amongst his positional peers over the last year, so there is no doubt that he contributes defensively as well.

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