Bruno Guimaraes has lifted the lid on Lucas Paqueta wearing a black and white Newcastle shirt in his garden.
The duo are “brothers” from their Lyon days and Paqueta visited his Brazilian team mate in the summer. Late in May they were pictured by neighbours playing football, with Paqueta wearing a Toon shirt, firming up rumours he is on Eddie Howe’s summer shopping list.
Guimaraes, likely to be Newcastle’s talisman this season, this week told MirrorFootball he would “love it” to see Paqueta wearing the strip for real. Newcastle are bidding for attacking reinforcements and tabled a £40m-plus bid for Leicester James Maddison this week, which was rejected.
Paqueta remains on their short list of targets as Howe seeks more firepower to complement Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin, but is also likely to cost £50m. Arsenal and Manchester City are also rumoured to be monitoring the 24-year-old who this week posted an Instagram message saying he “missed” his mate Bruno.
Asked how Paqueta came to wear a Newcastle shirt, Guimaraes said: “Paqueta in black and white again? It is difficult to say. I would love that! But I don’t work in this area. I am a player. I invited him and we play together in my garden. It was only this.”
Guimaraes insisted Newcastle are battle ready for the new season.
“I enjoyed a lot of my summer. Now it is time to work hard. I was in a jacuzzi in my garden and enjoyed that! Newcastle is a good city. I love to live here and it’s a nice moment in my life. We are ready for the start of the Premier League. We have had big tests against good teams like Atalanta, Bilbao and Benfica. We have played well.
“I don’t like to set my goals out in public. I am not a goal scorer, but I will if I get an opportunity. We need to think big things. We have players to do a big season. It is step by step and that’s it. I believe in my team and I believe in myself.”
Asked about newly promoted Nottingham Forest who visit St James’ Park, he said: “It will be a difficult game, always difficult to play the first game. The good thing is it is at home and when at home we need to win. They are just promoted.
"The Premier League doesn’t have easy games, all games are difficult. We know the intensity and we have to be ready. We have to watch Lingard because he is a big player.”
Boss Eddie Howe can’t wait for the season to start and see how his pre-seaosn plans are shaping up in reality. He is also loving the positivity around Tyneside and said: “I can generally feel the positive energy at the moment, a positive vibe.
"That’s around the city and training ground. I see the supporters outside the training ground, and they are incredibly passionate and loyal.
"I’ve had supporters stop me at quarter past six in the morning every day this week now. That’s incredible, and they’re staying until late. I left late last night and there were still people there. It shows their energy, enthusiasm, positivity and loyalty for the club.”
