Arsenal are ready to step up their efforts to sign Newcastle United star Bruno Guimaraes after a behind-the-scenes dispute emerged, according to Football Insider.
The Gunners won their first Premier League title in 22 years back in May, finishing seven points above Man City, while they suffered defeat in the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain on penalties.
Mikel Arteta is now keen to strengthen the squad further to ensure that they remain competitive as they push to go back-to-back for the first time in their history, and a new top-level midfielder has been identified as a priority.
Arsenal Ready to Intensify Guimaraes Move
Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes smiles as he walks into St James' Parkvia Reuters
Guimaraes, who has been described as 'world-class', was the subject of a £55m bid from the north London side recently, which was rejected out of hand by Newcastle.
The Magpies have already sold Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali for a combined £170m, and don't want to lose any other top stars. But Arsenal are set to intensify their pursuit of the Brazil international, with a new offer expected to be made imminently.
Newcastle don't want to lose their captain, but according to journalist Pete O'Rourke, there are some disputes behind-the-scenes about whether he has a release clause or not, and that could spur Arsenal's interest on further.
"It's turned into a bit of a saga, which obviously Newcastle were keen to avoid this summer after all that happened with Alexander Isak," he said.
"It's a difficult situation for Newcastle because they don't want to lose Bruno Guimaraes. He is the heartbeat of the team. Having lost Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali, to lose three players like that in the same transfer window would take a lot to recover from.
"Arsenal had that enquiry quickly dismissed for Bruno, obviously Newcastle were never going to sell him for £55m or whatever fee was discussed there.
"I don't think Arsenal's interest will go away. It will intensify. Obviously there's been disputes over whether he's a release clause or not in his deal at St James's Park right now as well."
England World Cup Quiz
You scored
↩ Play again
Bruno Guimaraes Would Be Huge Addition
Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes celebrates vs Crystal Palacevia Reuters
Despite Arsenal winning the Premier League and reaching the Champions League final, it's fair to say that if they sign Guimaraes this summer then they will be improving their squad.
The Brazil star has shone at the World Cup in a slightly more advanced role, and alongside Declan Rice in Arteta's midfield he would be able to share the load with him and that would add a new dimension to their team
Any deal wouldn't be cheap, but Arsenal know that. It's unclear how much they would be willing to pay, or what it would take to convince Newcastle to sell, but they must be getting encouragement from the player's side, and that means that this saga is far from over.
Mikel Arteta Related
Arsenal Move Into Pole Position Ahead of Liverpool in Race to Sign 'Elite' Star
It might be bad news for Liverpool.