Mikel Arteta will be hoping his transfer dream comes true this summer as Arsenal step up their pursuit of a new central midfielder
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta will be hoping to make it third time lucky as the Gunners ramp up their pursuit of Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes.
The Brazil international, currently representing his country at the FIFA World Cup in North America, has emerged as a leading target for the Premier League champions as Arteta looks to bolster his midfield options before the new season. According to Chronicle Live, an intermediary offer worth around £45million for Guimaraes has already been knocked back, with Newcastle insisting their captain is “not for sale”.
Reports in Brazil have claimed that Guimaraes has a £60m release clause in his contract that can be triggered this summer after Newcastle failed to qualify for the Champions League. However, sources on Tyneside have dismissed those claims and insist no such clause exists.
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Arsenal have also been linked with Guimaraes’ Newcastle team-mate Sandro Tonali, but the Magpies skipper is understood to be viewed as the more realistic option after Newcastle rejected an £80m bid from Tottenham Hotspur for the Italian. Other potential options include West Ham’s Matheus Fernandes, Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi and Bournemouth’s Alex Scott, who is also attracting interest from Chelsea and Manchester United.
Any arrival is likely to prompt the departure of Denmark’s Christian Norgaard and could also cast doubt over Martin Zubimendi’s status as a regular starter.
Arteta is a long-time admirer of Guimaraes and will be hoping his latest pursuit finally ends in success. The 28-year-old has been on Arsenal’s radar ever since Arteta tool charge at the Emirates Stadium in late 2019 and has already been the subject of at least two unsuccessful attempts to sign him.
In 2020, Arsenal were widely reported to be tracking Guimaraes while he was still playing for Athletico Paranaense in his native Brazil. The Gunners contacted his representatives but decided to wait until the summer before making a formal move, allowing Ligue 1 side Lyon to swoop in during the January transfer window and seal a €20m deal.
History repeated itself two years later before Guimaraes completed a £40m move to Newcastle. His agent Alexis Malavolta later revealed that Arsenal had shown genuine interest, but Newcastle had moved decisively during a World Cup year.
“Newcastle arrived and they got serious. Bruno couldn’t wait another six months to decide his future in a World Cup year,” he said.
Since joining Newcastle in 2022, Guimaraes has scored 31 goals in 195 appearances and became the first Newcastle captain in 70 years to lift a major domestic trophy after Eddie Howe’s side won the Carabao Cup in 2025.
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