Newcastle had €85m plan to replace Bruno Guimaraes

Newcastle United were reportedly prepared to spend €85m on Porto midfielder Victor Froholdt after Bruno Guimaraes completed his move to Arsenal.

The 20-year-old Dane was at the top of Newcastle's list to replace Guimaraes, with the Magpies willing to use the money generated from the Brazilian's departure to trigger Froholdt's release clause.

Their problem was not convincing Porto. It was convincing the player.

According to Friday's edition of BOLD, Newcastle were among the “hottest and most serious” clubs pursuing Froholdt this summer.

Their interest had been developing for months. BOLD reported in May that Newcastle were one of three clubs to have “fallen in love” with the midfielder, leading to a specific approach.

Once Guimaraes' departure became clear, Newcastle were reportedly prepared to go much further.

The Magpies were willing to spend all the money received from the Brazilian's sale on Froholdt and trigger his €85m Porto release clause.

That would have removed Porto's ability to block the transfer and made Froholdt one of Newcastle's biggest investments.

The midfielder's dynamic style has attracted considerable attention across Europe, with expectations in Denmark that he could eventually become the country's most expensive footballer.

Despite Newcastle's willingness to pay, Froholdt decided against the transfer.

BOLD jokingly reports that the Dane preferred “300 days of sunshine over 300 rainy days in northeast England”, but there were more important sporting considerations behind his decision.

Froholdt wanted to defend the Portuguese title with Porto and play Champions League football.

He also reportedly had doubts about Newcastle's current project. Although a Premier League transfer would represent a step up in domestic competition, the midfielder viewed remaining at Porto as the more stable option for this stage of his development.

The expectation is now that Froholdt will stay in Portugal this season, with only a dramatic late development likely to change that position.

Missing out on Froholdt leaves Newcastle needing another solution following Guimaraes' departure to Arsenal.

Their willingness to pay the full €85m clause demonstrates how highly the club rated the Danish midfielder and how seriously they considered him as a potential replacement.

For Froholdt, the decision does not necessarily close the Premier League door permanently. His growing reputation means another major transfer is expected eventually, but Newcastle will have to look elsewhere for now.

Froholdt is set to continue his development at Porto while Newcastle assess other midfield options. The Magpies clearly had significant funds available for their preferred Guimaraes replacement, but finding another target of the same priority could prove difficult this late in the window.

Who should Newcastle target after missing out on Victor Froholdt?