Former Newcastle United transfer target Lucas Paqueta has been charged by the FA with four counts of spot-fixing in Premier League games.
The West Ham United midfielder looked like he was going to sign for Manchester City last summer, only for the deal to be put on hold as an investigation began.
Now that investigation appears to be over, leading to the FA charging Lucas Paqueta. It could be very bad news for the Brazilian, who Bruno Guimaraes has always said he wants to join him at Newcastle United.
According to the Guardian, West Ham fear that his career could be over if he is found guilty.
Following the charge, it looks like Paqueta’s transfer to Manchester City is off again. It had been reported that the Premier League champions were once again planning to sign the 26-year-old.
That now seems unlikely, which could have an impact on goings on at Newcastle United.
How the Lucas Paqueta situation could impact Bruno Guimaraes’ Newcastle United future
That is according to journalist Dean Jones, who has spoke to Give Me Sport about how the Paqueta situation could lead to Manchester City making a move for Bruno Guimaraes.
“I do wonder if this means City look to focus more clearly on Bruno Guimaraes as a target for the summer when the window opens,” he said.
“They have been looking at potentially bidding for both Bruno and Paqueta but maybe this makes a push for Guimaraes even more likely to make sure they get one of them in.”
Manchester City have been linked with signing Bruno Guimaraes
While Newcastle United are hoping to keep Bruno at the club, his £100million release clause does leave them vulnerable.
And the 26-year-old is aware that Manchester City are interested in him, with Pep Guardiola a big fan of the Brazil international.
It looked like Guardiola was going to add Paqueta to his immensely talented squad, but those plans might have to be shelved. And that could inadvertently lead to them intensifying their interest in Bruno.
That is a major worry, but Man City will need to decide soon if they want to sign him.
Time is on Newcastle’s side with Bruno
While Bruno does have a £100million release clause, it is only active for a short period of time. If teams want to sign the midfielder for that amount, they will need to do a deal between the end of May and the beginning of the final week of June.
That leaves Newcastle in a strong position, as they are not willing to negotiate his exit this summer. If a team wants to sign them, they will have to pay £100million. And they will need to get a bid prepared soon, as the clock is ticking.
Hopefully that does not happen, despite it looking like Man City might have to move on from Paqueta.
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