Bruno Guimaraes is grateful for everything he achieved with Alexander Isak at Newcastle United, but is now keen to draw a line under the Sweden striker's transfer saga.
Isak made his Liverpool debut on Wednesday as they beat Atletico Madrid 3-2 in a dramatic Champions League clash at Anfield, the forward having left Newcastle in a £125million move on deadline day.
The British-record transfer came after Isak refused to train or play for Newcastle in a bid to force through the deal.
Newcastle begin their Champions League campaign against Barcelona at St James' Park on Thursday, and Guimaraes was only focused on that as he was quizzed on the Isak saga for the first time.
Bruno wishes Isak all the best
Isak scored the goal that clinched Newcastle their first domestic trophy for 70 years when they beat Liverpool 2-1 in the EFL Cup final back in March.
His 23 league goals in 2024-25 helped Newcastle clinch Champions League football for the second time in three seasons, and Guimaraes reflected fondly on his time as Isak's team-mate when asked about him in a pre-match press conference.
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"I think football is business. I think the club made a choice," Guimaraes said. "He’s gone and I wish him all the best. I am grateful for everything we achieved together.
"But this is not the time to look at the past, it's time to look forward to the future at Newcastle. We have the Barca game and we are looking forward to it."
Can Newcastle keep their stars?
Isak's departure is likely to increase speculation around other stars in coming transfer windows, with the likes of Guimaraes and fellow midfielder Sandro Tonali sure to have plenty of admirers.
Asked what Newcastle can do to keep hold of their best players going forward, Guimaraes replied: "It's a good question. You have the financial fair play and I don't know if this affects things or not - I’m not under the table to see the circumstance to see what was going on. Football is business.
"As a player, we don’t want to lose our best players, if you want to be successful. We have to improve our squad, and I think we did this very well in this summer - we look forward to go again.
"I want to win things. I have never changed my mind and I still look to make history at this club.
"We have been in the Champions League two times in the last three years, that is unbelievable for us. We have to keep that going. There is a big job for us to do here and I want to be part of this team."
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