Arsenal are poised to make a formal offer for Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes following exploratory talks over a potential transfer.
The Gunners have held preliminary discussions and a fee of around £60m was intimated to the 28-year-old’s representatives during those early negotiations.
Arsenal have also held separate talks with the representatives of Newcastle teammate Sandro Tonali as they weigh up their midfield options this summer.
As things stand, the club are understood to want only one leading central midfielder, meaning a choice between the two Newcastle players is likely on the cards.
Bournemouth’s Alex Scott and Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi are also among the players being considered as Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta works across multiple targets simultaneously.
Berta is renowned for progressing several deals at once before making a final decision on which option to pursue, and this summer appears no different.
Newcastle have already rejected an offer of around £80m from Tottenham Hotspur for Tonali and are equally reluctant to part with Guimaraes, the club’s captain.
Newcastle are understood to be in a strong position to command a fee closer to £100m for Tonali, with Manchester City also monitoring developments around the Italian international.
Tonali is effectively contracted until 2030 having signed a new deal during his 10-month betting ban, and Newcastle will point to wider market valuations to support their asking price.
Manchester City have agreed a deal with Nottingham Forest to sign Elliot Anderson for a club record £116m, while West Ham want up to £80m for Mateus Fernandes.
With Guimaraes turning 29 in November and Tonali having turned 26 in May, the age profiles of both players will likely influence how far Arsenal are willing to stretch financially.
Sources have indicated Arsenal have expressed firm interest in 22-year-old Scott, who is also attracting attention from Manchester United and Chelsea.
The arrival of a new central midfielder at the Emirates would likely trigger the departure of an existing player, with Denmark international Christian Norgaard, 32, someone the club will listen to offers for.
It could also raise questions over Martin Zubimendi’s position as a regular starter in Mikel Arteta’s plans for next season.
For Newcastle, the situation underlines a growing concern that their most influential players are being targeted by the Premier League’s wealthiest clubs at an alarming rate.
Guimaraes was the club’s player of the year last season despite Newcastle finishing a disappointing 12th in the Premier League, contributing nine goals in his best-ever scoring campaign.
His importance to the team is difficult to overstate, and Newcastle simply cannot afford for Guimaraes, Tonali, Anthony Gordon, and Alexander Isak to leave within the space of a year.
After missing out on Spain international forward Victor Munoz, who chose to join Liverpool, Newcastle are in urgent need of a positive statement in this transfer window.
The club must signal ambition to the players currently on their books, and how they handle this pivotal period will say a great deal about their direction of travel.
