Newcastle selling Bruno Guimaraes should not be ‘the end of the world’ for fans, Ian Ladyman tells It’s All Kicking Off!… as he points to Aston Villa rebuilding after losing Jack Grealish

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe confirmed last week that a £100million release clause in Guimaraes’ contract expires at the end of June.

Howe is adamant he wants to keep the midfielder at St James’ Park, but believes a public declaration of the release clause is beneficial to avoid speculation.

The Brazilian is admired by Manchester City, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, and the club expect enquiries for him at the end of the season.

Ladyman, Mail Sport’s Football Editor and It’s All Kicking Off! podcast host, believes Newcastle should look to the example set by Aston Villa and the sale of Jack Grealish.

Newcastle star Bruno Guimaraes has been linked with a summer transfer away from the club

Eddie Howe confirmed last week that Guimaraes has a £100m release clause in his contract

Mail Sport’s Ian Ladyman believes Newcastle should look to the example of Aston Villa in the event that Guimaraes is sold this summer

Grealish signed for Man City for £100m in 2021 after leaving his boyhood club, following Aston Villa finishing 11th in the Premier League.

Ladyman believes Aston Villa’s efforts to strength their squad with the funds generated by Grealish have contributed significantly to Unai Emery’s side being on the brink of securing Champions League football next season.

Aston Villa are fourth in the Premier League and face a two legged Europa Conference League semi-final.

‘When Manchester City’s interest in Jack Grealish first, surfaced two, three summers ago there were an awful lot of Aston Villa fans who saw that as the end of days,’ Ladyman said. ‘I remember writing a column suggesting that if they sold him and invested it well, then it could work for them.

‘That prompted the former Aston Villa defender, Shaun Teale, to send me a message on Twitter telling me to get back under my rock, which I didn’t hugely appreciate given that I’ve never met him.

‘But now that I’m out from my rock and I look at Aston Villa sitting nicely, sitting nicely in fourth place, and no doubt Shaun Teale is quite happy with that, it just shows that are Aston Villa in a better place now than they were when they sold Jack Grealish.

‘Now, it’s not because they sold Jack Grealish, it’s because they hired Unai Emery. However, they’ve got a good squad, they’ve got a deeper squad, they’ve got a squad that doesn’t rely on Jack Grealish anymore, they’re in a better place.

‘All I’m saying is, for Newcastle and Bruno Guimaraes it does not have to be the end of the world if he goes as long as they invest it well.

Grealish was sold by Aston Villa to Man City for £100m in 2021 after finishing in mid-table

A rebuilt Aston Villa side under Unai Emery are now on the brink of Champions League football

‘Craig Hope, our Newcastle correspondent, has talked about the lack of depth at Newcastle so if you lose one player and sign three, as long as they’re the right ones, that helps you. It’s called building.’

Ladyman conceded the challenge of replacing Guimaraes could be complicated by the departure of sporting director Dan Ashworth, while highlighting Alexander Isak as the Magpies other major saleable asset.

It’s All Kicking Off! co-host Chris Sutton admitted he was split over the prospect to Newcastle selling Guimaraes this summer.

Sutton suggested Newcastle would face the challenge of deciding how to spend money received from a potential sale.

He also warned a potential sale could lead to Newcastle’s other key players starting to question the ambition of the club. 

‘They’re finishing the season pretty well, but how can they replace him [Guimaraes], a player of his quality,’ Sutton said.

‘You know if they get 100 million, then how do you spend that? Do you bring two players in for 50 million apiece? Is there a gem out there who Newcastle have spotted which other clubs haven’t? That’s the game, but it’s highly unlikely.

‘If Newcastle want to get to the next level, I think they’ve probably got to hold on to him.

It’s All Kicking Off co-host Chris Sutton is split over the potential sale of Guimaraes

Sutton warned a sale could lead to other stars like Alexander Isak questioning the club’s ambition

‘I actually think it’s a point very well made with Aston Villa evolving after Grealish. I’ve just said I’m uncertain about whether selling Bruno for Newcastle is necessarily the right thing to do but Aston Villa have got on the right side of that.

‘That’s the key, isn’t it? Everybody knows how important recruitment is but you chuck into the mix Dan Ashworth leaving, are Newcastle going to be on the right side of recruitment?

‘The other thing is the message which it sends to other players, other talented players within the team [like] Isak, there’ll be there’ll be suitors in for him. I’m absolutely sure about that.

‘That is the danger. If you sell one big hitter, then other players within that team might think, well, is the club lacking ambition?’