Newcastle United have rejected an Arsenal bid of around £75 million for captain Bruno Guimaraes, with the Brazilian reporting for pre-season training as the club prepares to play hardball.
Newcastle's stance
The Magpies have been irked by what insiders describe as 'six weeks of talk' before the offer was knocked back over the weekend. The bid was swiftly rejected, with Newcastle determined to keep their captain for the new season.
Bruno reported for pre-season training in La Manga on Monday, easing fears that he might follow the example of Alexander Isak, who refused to return for pre-season before his move to Liverpool in 2025.
Key decision-makers
CEO David Hopkinson and sporting director Ross Wilson are aware that selling Bruno could anger some sections of the fanbase, especially after the recent exits of Alexander Isak to Liverpool, Sandro Tonali to Spurs for £100 million, and Anthony Gordon to Barcelona for £69.3 million.
Hopkinson and Wilson are deemed the key men who would make any decision on Bruno being sold, with no interference on player sales coming from Saudi backers PIF.
Arsenal's next move
Newcastle were braced for further contact from Arsenal, but the Gunners are reluctant to bid much more than their formal offer. Earlier in the window, Arsenal pulled out of the race to sign England star Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa after seeing Chelsea step in with £117 million.
Whether they stay at the table for Bruno remains to be seen, but there were suggestions that Newcastle haven't seen the last of the Gunners as the situation began to come to a head on Monday.
