FC Barcelona Interested In Signing Lyon’s Brazil Star Bruno Guimarães, Claims Report

FC Barcelona are interested in signing Lyon’s Brazilian star midfielder Bruno Guimarães, reports have claimed.

According to the leading newspaper AS, in a report that has been relayed by Catalan sports daily counterpart Mundo Deportivo, the Catalans are attentive to the 22-year-old’s progress in Ligue 1, where his performances have impressed since crossing the Atlantic at the turn of 2020.

A native of Rio de Janeiro, Guimarães was turned down by a string of his hometown’s top teams and cut his teeth at Audax Rio before being transferred to its sister club Audax Paulista in São Paulo’s industrial western suburbs.

His big break came when snapped up by Athletico Paranaense in 2018, and it was at the Curitiba-based outfit that, along with Renan Lodi, the youngster won the club its first Sudamericana continental crown and a Copa do Brasil title.

One of his generation’s most hotly-tipped talents, it was believed that Guimarães might join Lodi at the Wanda to play under Diego Simeone. A last minute coup from Lyon was pulled off succesfully, however, when their director of football Juninho Pernambucano promised to transform Guimarães into the “best midfielder in the world”.

His time in France has thus far been a roaring success, with Guimarães receiving the Man of the Match award in his maiden three outings.

The strongest of these displays came in the Champions League last 16, when Lyon battled to a shock 1-0 win over Juventus in the first. And while Ligue 1 has been cancelled for resumption later in the year, Guimarães can at least try and help OL progress in Europe’s elite club competition in August by finishing the Italian Serie A rulers off in Turin.

It is it not just his progress at club level that has been cruelly halted by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, though, as Guimarães was on the cusp of making his Brazil senior debut in the Seleção’s World Cup qualifiers in March.

Also in his country’s Tokyo 2020 plans, he spearheaded a campaign to guarantee that 24-year-olds can feature in the Olympic competition if it still goes ahead next summer.

As pertaining to FC Barcelona, Guimarães joined Lyon on a four-and-half year contract for a fee of $22mn. Cash strapped and forced into making part exchanges, it is unlikely that Lyon will let their rising star leave cheaply any time soon, which could hamper any immediate approach.