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The £74m box office Newcastle United transfer that could help them forget Bruno Guimaraes Newcastle have been linked with a transfer bid for a wonderkid who could replace Bruno Guimarães - but is the deal too expensive? While Bruno Guimarães’ departure from Newcastle is far from confirmed, the Magpies are understandably working on a contingency plan should they fail to keep the Brazilian on the books – and new reports from Portugal suggest that they may have a particular replacement in mind. According to newspaper Correio da Manhã, Newcastle have Porto wonderkid Victor Froholdt on their shopping list, a 20-year-old midfielder whose signing would represent a continuation of the club’s recent investment in youth. It could also be extremely expensive – but would it be worth it should Bruno move on? Could Newcastle replace Bruno Guimarães with Victor Froholdt? As it stands, Newcastle are doing their best to keep hold of Bruno Guimarães despite the persistent attentions of Arsenal – who have yet to meet Newcastle’s reported £80m valuation for the 28-year-old. It may be that he doesn’t leave St. James’ Park this summer, and that signing a replacement never becomes a necessity. Should that prove to be the case, then a deal for Froholdt is highly unlikely given that Porto would only be prepared to listen to offers that came close to his €85m (£74m) release clause, according to Correio da Manhã. With Froholdt, who only moved to Porto from FC København last July, under contract until 2030, the Portuguese side have an exceptionally strong negotiating position and no motivation to sell him for anything other than an exceptional price. Porto’s stance has kept suitors at arm’s length for now. A number of elite clubs admire the talents of Froholdt, who already has 12 caps for Denmark, but the asking price has simply been too high – but if Bruno Guimarães leaves Newcastle, there’s a chance that they may be both desperate enough to pay over the odds and have the resources to do so. Froholdt is, as it stands, just one name on a shortlist, and many of the other players on that list would be considerably cheaper. Botafogo’s Danilo, Monaco’s Lamine Camara and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Larsson are all potential options, while Tottenham Hotspur have already offered them Lucas Bergvall at a more obtainable price point. Given the finances involved, it’s more likely that Newcastle prefer to sign a cheaper option if compelled to pick up a new midfielder – but Froholdt’s combination of talent and proven quality might be enough to tempt them into taking a leap of faith. Why Froholdt is precisely the kind of midfielder Newcastle need While Froholdt’s prohibitive price tag is a good reason to stay away this summer, it’s easy to see why Newcastle would be keen on him – he’s almost custom-made for Eddie Howe’s style of play. A relentlessly energetic box-to-box midfielder with immense athleticism and stamina and the ability to both create chances and destroy opposing attacks, Froholdt is the kind of midfielder who could easily slot into the role which Bruno Guimarães has made his own at Newcastle over recent years. While he isn’t quite at the Brazilian’s level yet in terms of how frequently he breaks up play, he isn’t far behind – for instance, Bruno Guimarães was responsible for forcing 4.7 turnovers per game in the Premier League last season, while Froholdt managed 3.9 in Portugal. The gap between the two players’ statistical output exists, but is hardly cavernous. Froholdt’s greatest flaw is simply his rawness – he hasn’t yet mastered the positional side of the game and does get caught in the wrong place sometimes as he hares around the pitch trying to put out fires or create space for himself. The end product is impressive despite that, however, and he scored six goals and created six more in 34 Primeira Liga matches over the past year. Given that is green and would likely need time to reach the levels required by Newcastle, it seems hard to imagine Newcastle paying anything like £74m for him, especially given that the club have become more cautious with their spending. Froholdt fits the bill tactically and meshes will with their recent philosophy of signing young talents who can develop together over time on Tyneside, but the price tag is most likely too much, at least for the time being. But much stranger things have happened, and the young Dane certainly has the talent and all-round game to suit Howe and his side.