Arsenal could miss out on signing Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes this summer after Tottenham Hotspur secured an agreement to land Sandro Tonali yesterday.
Spurs recently reached a verbal agreement to sign West Ham United midfielder Mateus Fernandes, and they have followed it up by finalising a deal with the Magpies for Tonali.
The Italian, who was previously linked with Arsenal, is poised to join Spurs for an initial fee worth £92.5 million plus a further £7.5m in add-ons based on Champions League qualification.
The £100m package could be a setback for the Gunners in their pursuit of Magpies captain Guimaraes.
Arsenal have already had a £45m offer (through intermediaries) for the 28-year-old turned down, but they are optimistic that an agreement could be reached for £65m, as per Chronicle Live.
The Magpies’ decision to part ways with Tonali could now have a knock-on effect on Arsenal’s pursuit of Guimaraes, who has been described as ‘very special‘ by manager Eddie Howe.
Newcastle could hold out for a significant transfer fee
Eddie Howe’s side have already secured two big-money sales this summer. Anthony Gordon was first to leave for Barcelona in early June for a package of around £70m.
They have recently sanctioned Tonali’s switch to Spurs in a £100m deal. The huge incoming funds mean that Newcastle are in a strong financial position despite the lack of European football next term.
The Tyneside outfit are now likely to play hardball in negotiations for other Premier League-linked players. This includes Guimaraes and Lewis Hall – the latter of whom has been linked with Manchester United.
Newcastle may not want to lose two of their main midfielders from last season. Guimaraes is undoubtedly the better of the two, having had another standout Premier League campaign for them.
He made an impressive 15 goal contributions for the Magpies last term, compared to Tonali’s two. He also won twice as many duels (5.8 to 3.1) and tackles (2.1 to 1) as the Italian midfielder.
It is unsurprising that Newcastle were prepared to part ways with Tonali once their valuation was met.
The big concern for Arsenal now could be the Magpies’ stance on Guimaraes. The £65m reported price tag may not be sufficient to prise him away, and Newcastle could easily hold out for £80-90m.
With Guimaraes turning 29 in four months, £65m already represents a huge outlay. Paying a higher fee would carry a risk, given players tend to experience a dip in performances at 30 or beyond.
Hence, there is a possibility that Arsenal could move on from their pursuit of Guimaraes and look into a deal for Bournemouth’s Alex Scott, who is much younger (22) and would provide resale value.
The England youth international could be prised away for around £80m.
Stats from Sofascore.com & Transfermarkt.com