Arsenal are considering ending their pursuit of Bruno Guimaraes after they were misled over how much the Newcastle United captain would cost. Mikel Arteta is keen to add a central midfielder to his Premier League title-winning squad, with Guimaraes emerging as his top target.
Player agreement and fee dispute
According to reports, the Brazil international has asked to leave St. James’ Park and has already agreed a five-year contract with the Gunners. All that remained was for Arsenal and Newcastle to agree on a transfer fee, but having already sold Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali this summer, the Magpies are determined not to lose their skipper.
Arsenal’s opening bid was quickly rebuffed, with reports indicating that Eddie Howe will only consider an offer matching the £100 million deal that took Tonali to Tottenham. Moreover, Newcastle are not interested in add-ons and would demand all the money up front.
Misleading price information
But the Telegraph report that the Gunners may not make an improved offer, as they were previously informed by intermediaries that Guimaraes would only cost £50 million. While Arteta has always admired the 28-year-old, Arsenal were not planning to move for the player until they were led to believe he was available for a bargain price.
It is said that Newcastle’s former co-owner Amanda Staveley told Guimaraes’ representatives that the club would consider a £50 million offer in the event they failed to qualify for the Champions League. After a dismal 2025/26 campaign, the Magpies are not in any European competition for the upcoming season.
Arsenal's decision pending
Whatever the case, Arsenal are now pondering whether to go all out for the midfielder or walk away from negotiations. While Guimaraes’ representatives are pushing for a transfer, the player himself seems to have a more relaxed approach and will only demand to leave if Arsenal make an appropriate bid.
Further complicating matters, Newcastle were close to signing Johan Manzambi, who would have helped fill Guimaraes’ void, but the Freiburg star has instead decided to join Aston Villa. Villa themselves are braced to lose star midfielder Youri Tielemans with Manchester United set to activate his £35 million release clause.
