Bruno Guimarães enjoyed the best season of his career and was instrumental in the historic EFL Cup win over Liverpool, as well as being instrumental in the excellent Premier League campaign that could end with a place in the next UEFA Champions League. Even so, the Brazilian would be inclined to leave European soccer in search of higher pay.
The most recent reports coming out of Brazil indicate that Bruno Guimarães' manager has met personally with Al Ittihad officials, who are treating the signing of the midfielder as their top priority for next season. It's worth noting that the club won the Saudi Pro League 2024/25 and is looking to strengthen its squad.
Even with a €120 million severance fine and a contract valid until the 2027/28 season, Bruno Guimarães could end up leaving Newcastle even though he has been a key player since he arrived in January 2022. It should be noted that Al-Hilal (Neymar's former club) are also very interested in signing him.
Bruno Guimarães could change his career path before the World Cup
Bruno Guimarães enjoyed an excellent season with five goals and nine assists in 53 games for Newcastle and the Brazilian national team. As mentioned above, he reached his technical peak in the EFL Cup final, which marked the end of a 70-year period without titles for Newcastle.
Extremely valued on the market, everything indicates that Bruno Guimarães' stay depends a lot on the final matchday of the Premier League, with confirmation or not of whether he will be playing in the next Champions League. The fact that the Brazilian has accepted that his staff have met with members of the Saudi club's board leads us to believe this.
Even with the 2026 FIFA World Cup on the horizon, Saudi soccer's lack of competitiveness compared to Europe wouldn't be enough to prevent Bruno Guimarães from leaving, and he should continue to receive attention from Carlo Ancelotti, who will take charge of Brazil in the next few days.