PSG in pole position for £100M Liverpool target as Barcelona ready to offer three players plus cash

One player that continues to be linked with a move to Anfield is Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes.

Liverpool held talks with the Magpies in the summer but were told he was not for sale before announcing he had signed a new contract to extend his stay at St. James' Park until 2028 in October last year.

That has done very, very little to stem the tide of transfer rumours, though.

Worse still, Newcastle are under pressure from the Premier League to meet their Profit and Sustainability rules or face sanctions.

With that in mind, PSG are said to be in pole position but Barcelona are trying their luck as well.

Meanwhile, can Liverpool even afford to sign him?

PSG in pole position to sign Bruno Guimaraes

A report this week from Portuguese outlet O Jogo has discussed Newcastle United's financial stress and suggest Bruno G could be a possible casualty.

They say he is "chosen" as the player who will leave to provide the necessary funds in what would represent two steps forward, one step back for manager Eddie Howe.

His release clause will need to be triggered but with it set at £100 million (€115M), it will be an expensive operation.

The report says PSG are in "pole position" while Liverpool, Chelsea and Barcelona are ill watching the Brazilian's situation with interest.

On the topic of Barca, they're trying a different approach...

Barcelona ready to offer three players plus cash

Barcelona are considering creative ways to sign Guimaraes, including offering three of their players in exchange.

Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen and Raphinha are all being touted by the La Liga outfit as makeweight in a deal to take the Newcastle midfielder to the Camp Nou.

It's not likely to work, though, is it?

What Newcastle need is cold, hard cash and anything less will get them a lot more than a slap on the wrist from the Premier League if Everton's fortunes in 2023 are anything to go by.

Can Liverpool afford to pay Guimaraes' release clause?

This is a tricky question to answer as it's not like Liverpool's bank balance is available to look at.

Yet, it seems likely they have that type of cash in spite of spending £145 million to sign four midfielders in the summer.

Their frugality, which in the face of Premier League sanctions is now being praised, means they have coffers to be called upon in times of need.

However, owners FSG and Jurgen Klopp are in agreement over the dangers of spending huge sums on lone signings.

The German manager has already proven that he doesn't need the big players to achieve big things and the same goes for Bruno Guimaraes.

He's a top player and Klopp could do special things with him but not if it puts the financial security of the club at risk.