Newcastle told of club's interest in Bruno Guimaraes just hours before his release clause expires

Newcastle have been informed of serious interest in midfielder Bruno Guimaraes just hours before his release clause officially expires, according to reports.

The Brazil midfielder joined the Magpies from Lyon in January 2022, and quickly became a key player for the club.

Guimaraes played a significant role as Newcastle qualified to play in the Champions League for the first time since the 2003/04 season.

The Brazilian, who is currently playing at the 2024 Copa America in the United States, has become a cult hero at St James' Park for his passing ability, box-to-box attributes and his ability to score important goals, with seven goals to his name in the Premier League last season.

The Magpies spent £40 million to bring the central midfielder to Tyneside in 2022, one of several major deals since Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) took over a majority stake in the club.

Newcastle have faced concerns surrounding Financial Fair Play (FFP), given their spending relative to the amount of commercial income that the club brings in.

And while it has been claimed that Eddie Howe's side would be willing to sanction the sales of some players to satisfy the financial regulations, Guimaraes is not said to be one of them.

But he has a release clause of £100 million in his contract, which can reportedly be triggered by any club.

While the 26-year-old has attracted interest from the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Barcelona, that release clause expires at midnight on Monday - meaning time is running out for those clubs.

And Portuguese outlet UOL have claimed that one club has shown concrete interest in signing the midfielder before his clause expires.

That club is said to be Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr, who have Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane and Aymeric Laporte among their roster.

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However, Al Nassr can only sign players officially once the Saudi Pro League transfer window opens on July 1 - after the midfielder's release clause expires.

As a result, they would need to negotiate a fee with Newcastle, which would likely be in excess of his release clause - if the Magpies were even willing to discuss terms.

Al Nassr have allowed goalkeeper David Ospina to leave on a free transfer this summer, meaning they currently have a vacant foreign player slot prior to registering their 2024/25 squad.

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