Arsenal's summer transfer activity is accelerating as they prepare to defend their Premier League title. The club has agreed personal terms with Roma midfielder Manu Kone, while Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes has expressed his desire to join the Gunners. Sporting director Andrea Berta is working with a reported £250m budget to strengthen Mikel Arteta's squad.
Bruno Guimaraes Seeks Arsenal Move
Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes has asked to leave the club, according to sources. The Brazil international, who joined from Lyon in 2022 and helped Newcastle win the 2025 League Cup, wants to compete for major trophies at a bigger club. Arsenal are reportedly willing to pay around £60m for the midfielder, but Newcastle insist they want to keep him.
Guimaraes' desire to leave follows the departures of Sandro Tonali to Tottenham and Anthony Gordon to Barcelona this summer, and Alexander Isak to Liverpool last year. These exits suggest that Newcastle's top players are increasingly unconvinced by the club's Saudi-backed project.
Manu Kone Deal Close
According to Italian publication Corriere della Sera, Arsenal have secured personal terms with French midfielder Manu Kone. The 25-year-old, who currently plays for Roma, has impressed for France during the World Cup in the absence of injured Aurelien Tchouameni. A transfer fee of around £43m is expected.
France manager Didier Deschamps praised Kone, saying: "I repeat, Manu Kone is underrated. He's coming off a very good season with Roma, and he's becoming increasingly important for us with each training session. He's very effective at winning the ball back, but he shouldn't be limited to that role of defensive midfielder because he also makes a difference in his use of the ball."
Left-Winger Search Continues
Arsenal are also targeting a new left-winger, with Leandro Trossard expected to join Besiktas and Gabriel Martinelli scoring only one league goal last season. Paris Saint-Germain's Bradley Barcola is a key target, but French legend Marcel Desailly has advised him to stay at PSG.
Speaking to Sportcasting, Desailly said: "Barcola doesn't need to leave PSG. He's too young. He's only 23-years-old. Didier Deschamps is teaching him a lesson, and he's giving him a chance. He's young - the attention and defensive alertness isn't there to match the speed he projects when he's going forward. He wasn't making the effort to get back into position. So he's growing, he's learning and he's getting that winning mentality on both sides of the game – being available for the team structurally without the ball while also being the one who makes the difference, just as the older players are doing. So, should he move to the Premier League? Not yet. Not yet at all. Sorry, Arsenal and Liverpool fans. He should stay at PSG, play 25 games a season and grow within that system."
Other Targets
Arsenal have also been linked with Bradley Barcola, Morgan Rogers, Rafael Leao, and Ayyoub Bouaddi. The only senior signing so far is Ecuador international Piero Hincapie, who completed a £34.5m move from Bayer Leverkusen after a loan spell last season. Players are due to return to the Sobha Realty Training Centre next week for pre-season, with more arrivals and departures expected.
