Newcastle refuse to comment on Guimaraes release clause

Bruno Guimaraes recently signed a new contract with Newcastle but despite doing so, speculation linking him with Liverpool and other clubs continues to rumble on.

Reds’ boss Jürgen Klopp is an admirer, but by default, that doesn’t mean he wants to sign every player that he rates. However, well-placed sources within the club claim that Klopp has had his recruitment team sniffing around the Brazilian midfielder for some time and that his interest hasn’t ceased as a result of the 25-year-old having signed a new deal.

Some observers believe that the new deal means little in terms of the player’s commitment and long-term aspirations and that it merely enables Newcastle to ensure they receive a substantial fee thanks to a more lucrative contract release clause in the player’s new deal.

The media have been pushing Newcastle’s sporting director Dan Ashworth about such a release clause to see if it backs up the suggestions that the player could still leave in the not too distant future, but Ashworth has refused to answer specific questions.

“I’m not going to confirm whether there is or isn’t any release clauses in Bruno or any other of our player’s contracts,” said the Newcastle chief.

“They’re all private and confidential. I can say to you about the principles of release clauses and you can have a situation where a player may have a dream country or club that they want to play for and you can make it specific to them, you can make it specific that it can sit outside of your competitors in the Premier League.

“Sometimes players view the fact that they’re happy to sign a long-term contract but if family situations change they may want to experience something different.

“It’s not always just about the players wanting an exit and this is where we want to go for the exit, there’s lots of different reasons that release clauses happen and can be put into contracts.”

• Are you a die-hard, mature Red? Tired of social media nonsense when it comes to the Reds? Become a KopTalk VIP Member and become part of a very special community. KopTalk Est.1998.