Newcastle could be forced to redeem Bruno Guimaraes due to Real Madrid transfer rates, says Dan Ashworth

NEWCASTLE bosses admit they could cash in superstars like Bruno Guimaraes to fund their title dreams.

The Brazilian midfielder signed for £35million from Lyon in January but revealed he was “talking” with Real Madrid in the summer.

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Fan favorite Bruno, 24, is loving life on Tyneside but has made it clear he expects Champions League football soon.

And Elster transfer boss Dan Ashworth said: “I definitely don’t want to sell Bruno.

“He’s a top player and a really important part of the journey.

“But at some point you have to act as one of the things around financial fair play.

“We need to be able to generate some money to reinvest and go again.

“You can never control when a club or an opportunity comes knocking for a player who might have a wish they’ve always wanted to make.

“It could be a specific city in the world, it could be a club or it could be a country.

“I can’t lie and say we never have to sell a player and we can always hold on to our top talent.

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“Sometimes you have to make a pragmatic decision and say, ‘Okay, let’s do that because it’s a way of reinvesting in the football club.’

“After all, at what level are you selling him?”

Newcastle have jumped from 19th to sixth in 12 months under Saudi ownership, spending more than £200m on transfers in the process.

And Ashworth knows getting into the Champions League is key for the Magpies to be able to retain their best players.

He added: “As a rule of thumb, I’d like to think we’ll be able to hold on to our top talent to further our ambitions of moving up the league and fighting for trophies.

“The Premier League is the most attractive league in the world.

“It gives you a fantastic start and if you play in Europe and have the size and the ambition, it’s possible.”