Arsenal have accelerated their pursuit of Bruno Guimaraes after the Newcastle United captain formally asked to leave the club this summer.
The Brazil international joined Newcastle from Lyon in 2022 and has since established himself as the team’s captain and undisputed talisman at St James’ Park.
Arsenal had been weighing up moves for either Guimaraes or his former Newcastle team-mate Sandro Tonali, who has since joined Tottenham for an initial £92.5m.
During early discussions around the financial conditions of a potential deal, a fee of around £60m was initially intimated with the 28-year-old’s representatives.
Although Newcastle have not received direct contact from Arsenal, Mikel Arteta’s side are now poised to submit a fresh offer for the Brazilian midfielder.
Guimaraes’ timing is significant, having missed a penalty for Brazil as they were eliminated from the World Cup in the last 16 by Norway on Sunday.
Newcastle are understandably reluctant to sanction any sale, having already lost Tonali and Anthony Gordon in the current transfer window.
The scale of midfield spending across the Premier League this summer has been striking, with Manchester City agreeing a club-record £116m deal with Nottingham Forest for Elliot Anderson and West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes joining Tottenham for £85m.
With Guimaraes turning 29 in November, his age is likely to become a key factor in determining how much Arsenal would be prepared to spend.
Arsenal are understood to be in the market for just one leading central midfielder, with Bournemouth’s Alex Scott and Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi also among those being considered.
Any arrival in central midfield would likely prompt the exit of an existing player, with Denmark international Christian Norgaard, 32, someone the club will listen to offers for.
The deal could also bring into question Martin Zubimendi’s prospects of holding down a regular starting position under Arteta next season.
Guimaraes expressed his frustration at the end of Newcastle’s campaign, writing on Instagram after a 2-0 defeat to Fulham: “A very frustrating season, and without a doubt we are all very disappointed. You fans definitely did not deserve this.”
Newcastle finished 12th in the Premier League, failing to qualify for European football, capping a deeply disappointing campaign for the club.
The departures of Tonali and Gordon, combined with Alexander Isak’s move to Liverpool last summer, mean Newcastle have now lost three key players within a year.
A strategic shift has seen Newcastle target promising young continental players aged 20 and under, including Bazoumana Toure, as part of a longer-term rebuild.
Guimaraes had spoken of Newcastle’s ambition to become a “big power” following his arrival from Lyon, suggesting he once envisaged being central to that journey.
Given the current going rate for elite midfielders, Newcastle would be well positioned to demand significantly more than the £60m figure that has been discussed so far.
