Eddie Howe has declined to make any assurances on Bruno Guimaraes’ future at Newcastle United, but he intends to keep both him and Alexander Isak at St James’ Park this summer.
Isak confirmed his commitment to the project following Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Everton; however, Bruno’s status is little more perilous, since his new deal has a release clause of about £100 million.
Elsewhere, Howe’s update on Joelinton’s contract situation was brief and to the point, stating that “we are as we were” in terms of conversations over a possible extension for the Brazilian.
Regarding the ‘luxury tax’ rumor that suggests adjustments to the current FFP rules, he added: “There are plenty of thoughts on it, but not much of it for public consumption! It’s difficult to talk about when it’s all guesswork. Obviously, it appears like points deductions are the way the Premier League deals with things, and we have to strive to fall in linewith everybody else.”
When asked if he is concerned about losing Bruno and/or Isak this summer, he replied, “Let me tell you, players like Bruno aren’t around every corner; they are very, very uncommon. He deserves to be acknowledged for what he offers.
“My objective is to keep Bruno with the football club for as long as possible, but I can never make any assurances because that would be completely silly.
“I don’t mind spending the summer competing with other players. I want Alex to continue to make headlines, but we also want to keep him for the long term.
“Who knows what the future holds? But our role in this is to make the players feel at home and pleased. Develop them, their talents, and their professions, and maybe that will be enough to keep them around for a long time.
