Guardiola Stirs Up Trouble, Eyeing Florentino’s Ideal Modric Replacement

Pep Guardiola’s interest in this player has yet to trigger a response from Valdebebas offices.

Real Madrid’s agenda is brimming with names fitting into various positions envisioned by the Blancos executives. Typically, Real Madrid reacts when a rival from the European elite also includes them on their list of potential targets. The latest to do so is Manchester City.

The Real Madrid board is gearing up to complete the generational transition they initiated in the summer of 2018 in the upcoming two summer transfer windows. So far, the Blancos’ top brass has achieved most of their objectives, even surprising a few top European teams with whom they shared targets.

One of those teams is Manchester City. After losing out on Jude Bellingham to the Merengues, Pep Guardiola seeks retribution by putting forward one of the players on the Spanish capital club’s agenda to the Sky Blues’ executives: Bruno Guimarães. The midfielder from Newcastle United has become a football star since his team had a brief but intense run in the current edition of the Champions League.

Despite his more defensive style of play, Guimarães has demonstrated a versatility that has caught the attention of both Real Madrid and Manchester City. Thus, the two best teams in Europe will go head-to-head to make a signing that isn’t entirely welcomed in the St. James’ Park offices.

Nearly Unbeatable Proposal So much so that the Magpies’ executives have set a minimum transfer fee of £100 million. At the current exchange rate, any team interested in acquiring Bruno Guimarães’ services would need to pay up to €117 million. That figure may seem steep by Valdebebas standards, but Pep Guardiola has the advantage of an almost unlimited budget for transfers.

To make this new interest from the Catalan coach a reality, reports from AS suggest a Manchester offer that would be divided into three payments: by paying £39 million to Newcastle in three installments, with a timeframe yet to be determined, they would seal the deal between the two Premier League clubs… leaving Real Madrid with no chance of securing a signing that would significantly bolster their midfield depth.