Newcastle are expected to reject a £70million bid from Arsenal for Bruno Guimaraes, according to Standard Sport.
Arsenal's Pursuit
The Gunners have been in talks with intermediaries for weeks as they plot a move for the Newcastle captain. While personal terms would not be an issue for Arsenal, with Guimaraes keen on making the switch to north London, club-to-club contact has been extremely limited.
It is believed that Arsenal have been preparing a £70m offer for Guimaraes to test Newcastle's stance. However, Newcastle, who have grown frustrated with what they believe to be attempts to unsettle Guimaraes, would swiftly reject that bid.
Newcastle's Demands
The Magpies are believed to be demanding at least £80m to entertain serious discussions for Guimaraes, who has not yet returned for pre-season. He was given three weeks off after Brazil's exit from the World Cup, where he started all five of his country's matches. Despite Brazil being knocked out at the last-16 stage by Norway, only France star Michael Olise registered more assists at the tournament than Guimaraes.
The 28-year-old is expected to report for Newcastle training next week and as it stands will travel to La Manga for the club's pre-season camp in Spain.
Newcastle's Intent
Newcastle remain determined to keep Guimaraes, particularly after already selling Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali this summer. The club had no issues putting Guimaraes front and centre of the launch of their new away kit on Thursday in a clear statement of their intent. The video for the unveiling starts with the words: "What does the future of Newcastle United look like to us?" Six players across the men's and women's teams were involved in that footage, with Guimaraes at the front of the group.
Arsenal's Midfield Plans
Arsenal are keen to sign a midfielder with Premier League experience as they look to build a squad capable of mounting a successful defence of their title. Declan Rice's fitness will be carefully managed when he returns to the club in August. Guimaraes is viewed as someone who can play alongside Rice but also provide cover to allow him to be rested. Last season, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta used Christian Norgaard very sparingly and Myles Lewis-Skelly was only given his chance in midfield in the final weeks of the campaign. With Martin Zubimendi exhausted after such an intense workload in the first half of the season and Mikel Merino out injured, opportunities for Rice to have his minutes managed were few and far between.
