Eddie Howe says that Bruno Guimaraes is not for sale as he looks to build a team around the Brazil international.
The star midfielder is in sparkling form going into this weekend's clash against Manchester United and is expected to be one of the top players at the forthcoming World Cup. Bruno was linked with Real Madrid in the summer but has played down such talk this week. This has also been echoed this week by sporting director Dan Ashworth who indicated Newcastle are in no mood to sell the South American ace.
When asked about Bruno's form, after two goals against Brentford in the thumping 5-1 win last week, Howe said: "We desperately want Bruno to be happy here, to enjoy his football and see a long term vision.
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"We want to build a team. We're in the very early stages of that so we don't want to disrupt the group we have, we want to add quality - that's the aim."
And speaking on Bruno's performances since making the £40million move from Lyon in January, Howe reflected: "He's done unbelievably well. He's fit in so well and epitomised the team spirit and the drive we need to be successful.
"I think the supporters have seen that and taken to him from day one. Off the pitch he's been brilliant. On the pitch he speaks for himself."
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