Arsenal have come to a £75m agreement with Newcastle for the transfer of their captain, Bruno Guimaraes. Guimaraes has been granted permission to undergo a medical examination.
Earlier in the summer, Guimaraes expressed his desire to join Arsenal if a suitable offer was made, after the club's initial bid was rejected. The 28-year-old now appears to be on the verge of joining the Premier League champions. Since joining Newcastle from Lyon in 2022 for £40m, Guimaraes has made 195 appearances and scored 31 goals. Newcastle had hoped to keep Guimaraes, who has two years remaining on his contract with a club-held option for a third year, but the expected deal would bring the total amount made from player sales this summer to over £240m.
This follows the signings of Anthony Gordon by Barcelona for £69.3m and Sandro Tonali by Spurs for £100m, as well as the departure of manager Eddie Howe, making for a tumultuous summer at St James' Park. According to Sky Sports News reporter Keith Downie, Newcastle were eager to retain Guimaraes but would only sell if he expressed a desire to leave and if the sale was on their terms, similar to the deals for Tonali and Gordon. Newcastle insisted on their valuation, which would make the transfer fee one of the highest for a player aged 28 or over. The deal was also contingent on Guimaraes handling the situation properly, such as attending Newcastle's training camp in Spain, which he did on Monday.
Newcastle feel that Guimaraes has met their demands and did not want a repeat of the situation with Alexander Isak, who refused to train before joining Liverpool last summer. Agents from both clubs were involved in negotiations from the start, but Newcastle rejected all offers, including an initial bid of £40-£45m in June. Newcastle were frustrated by Arsenal's delay in contacting them for weeks, but the club claims there have been no fallouts and that good relations remain between the player and the club.
Sky Sports' Oliver Yew believes this is a significant signing for Arsenal, stating that Guimaraes is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, if not the world. The acquisition of Guimaraes strengthens Arsenal's midfield, which already includes Christian Norgaard, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Merino, Martin Odegaard, and Eberechi Eze. The addition of Guimaraes provides Arteta with more options and allows for the possibility of Declan Rice taking a break in certain games after his exploits last season.
This signing makes Arsenal's midfield world-class, and they are now favorites to win the title. Questions were raised about the fee Newcastle wanted for a player who will be 29 in November, but the deal has been completed for significantly less than the reported £100m. At the start of the transfer window, the fee might have been considered fair, but given the recent big-money signings of midfielders like Elliot Anderson and Morgan Rogers, anything under £100m seems like good value. Guimaraes is a little older, but this aligns with Arsenal's strategy to win now, having also signed Viktor Gyokeres last summer with the same goal in mind.
Guimaraes is one of the most consistent Premier League midfielders and won't need time to settle in. His arrival could bring Arsenal closer to winning their first Champions League and help them retain the Premier League title. If they can add a left winger with star quality, it could be bad news for their title rivals.