Newcastle United sources have dismissed talk of the Magpies selling Bruno Guimaraes for a fee of £70m as a 'non-starter'. The club are growing tired of so-called third parties trying to unsettle their club captain, with the situation rumbling on for six weeks.
Arsenal yet to contact Newcastle
Well-placed sources on Tyneside say that Arsenal's chances of getting Bruno for close to £70m are a 'non-starter'. Newcastle are on the brink of signing Aladji Bamba from Monaco, but he is not thought to be a replacement for Bruno, and the club's stance on the Carabao Cup-winning skipper remains the same.
Arsenal are still to contact Newcastle, let alone put in a bid for the South American, amid talk from the capital that the Gunners are readying a £70m offer. Bruno nor his agency have put in an official transfer request, and he remains under contract for at least two more years with Newcastle. The club expects the ex-Lyon star to report back for pre-season training in time for their boot camp in La Manga.
Potential flashpoint ahead
The next seven days could become tricky for the player and the club if Bruno decides to go down the same path as Alexander Isak. Just 12 months ago, Isak went on strike and refused to board a plane heading to the Far East for the club's tour of Singapore and South Korea. He then infuriated Eddie Howe by going AWOL to work alone in Spain and never kicked a ball for the Magpies again, eventually forcing a move to Liverpool for £125m.
Given Newcastle are already irritated by Arsenal's approach on Bruno this summer, they are unlikely to buckle at £70m. If the Gunners decide to move on if they don't get him at what United deem a paltry offer, there will be no complaints on Tyneside.
Newcastle's tough stance
If Bruno hands in a transfer request, which he hasn't so far, Newcastle would then take on the role of tough negotiators and would hold out for a fee closer to £100m rather than the initial fees bandied around by the Arsenal end as low as an initial £45m and £60m. The ex-Lyon man has at least two years left on his current deal, and there is a suggestion that Newcastle could trigger an extra year on the midfielder.
