Eddie Howe has dismissed the suggestion Bruno Guimaraes waved goodbye to the Newcastle fans on the final day of the season.
The Brazilian scored in the Magpies’ 4-2 win over Brentford, as the the club finished seventh in the Premier League. That will be enough for a place in the Europa Conference League next season if Manchester United do not beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final this weekend.
There has been plenty of speculation over Guimaraes’ future at Newcastle, with Arsenal and Manchester City both interested in the midfielder and PSG also known to be admirers.
Newcastle are determined to keep hold of the 26-year-old, who has a £100m release clause in his contract, but that is only active until the end of June.
Guimaraes waved at the Newcastle fans in the away end at Brentford after throwing his shirt into the crowd, but Howe has insisted that conclusions should not be drawn from that.
“I don’t think it’s a wave goodbye,” Howe said.
“Bruno probably does that many times but it can be interpreted in a way that people watching decide that’s the case.
“Certainly from my side, I hope it’s not. He is integral to what we’re doing and is an inspirational player, we’re desperate to keep him.”
Guimaraes has flown with the Newcastle squad for a post-season trip to Australia, where the Magpies will face Tottenham and then an A-League All Stars side two days later.
He will then turn his attention to this summer’s Copa America. Brazil face Mexico and USA in warm-up fixtures, before getting their tournament underway on June 25 against Costa Rica. Guimaraes could be away until July 14, if Brazil make the final.
