Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal: Personal terms agreed as fee battle with Newcastle intensifies
Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal: Newcastle United‘s most important midfielder wants out. That much is no longer in doubt. Bruno Guimaraes has informed the club that he wishes to join Arsenal this summer. According to transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano, personal terms between the player and the Gunners are already agreed in principle.
“Bruno Guimarães doesn’t go to Newcastle and say ‘let me go to Arsenal’ without having an agreement with Arsenal,” Romano stated on his YouTube channel. The desire behind the move is threefold: London, Mikel Arteta, and Champions League football. Simple as that.
Where negotiations stand right now
Arsenal have already had two bids knocked back. A £55 million opening offer was rejected outright. Then came a second approach worth a £65 million package. Newcastle turned that down just as firmly. Romano has since indicated that a figure somewhere between £65 million and £90 million could be enough to get real talks started, though Newcastle’s official position remains that their captain is not for sale.
Crucially, Guimarães has made clear he will not repeat the Alexander Isak saga from last summer, when Isak went on strike to force his move to Liverpool for £125 million. The Brazilian intends to be respectful. He won’t manufacture a crisis. His message to Newcastle has been straightforward: if the clubs can agree on a fee, he will go; if not, he will not cause problems.
That measured approach changes the dynamic considerably. Arsenal can’t simply wait for the player to make Newcastle’s life impossible. They’ll have to find a number that works. The £90 million figure, where Newcastle have reportedly anchored their valuation, is a massive ask. Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope, who covers the Magpies closely, has suggested that £75 million could be the figure that unlocks progress. The case for spending big is genuinely strong.
What the stats say about the player Arsenal want
During the 2025/26 Premier League season, Guimarães registered nine goals and five assists across 29 appearances, earning an average FotMob rating of 7.52. His total goal involvement of 14 for the campaign, at a rate of 0.51 per 90 minutes, placed him among the most productive central midfielders in the division. Add to that a pass accuracy of 86 per cent, 1.65 key passes per game, and a defensive engine that rarely lets teams play through him with ease. He is a complete midfielder.
Across his entire Premier League career, Guimarães has now recorded 30 goals and 25 assists in 153 appearances. Those numbers belong to a player operating well above the standard expected of his position. Arteta has tracked him for years. Romano confirmed that Arteta was the driving force behind Arsenal’s interest internally, and this is far from the first time the Gunners have considered making a move for the Brazilian.
Newcastle’s reluctance is understandable. Having already parted ways with Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali this summer for a combined £160 million, the Magpies have little appetite to lose their captain and midfield anchor on top of that. Eddie Howe’s squad is being dismantled around him. Losing Guimaraes, too, would represent a fundamental rebuild rather than a transitional summer.
Read: Arsenal in talks to sign Brazilian midfielder alongisde Guimaraes
But football has a habit of ignoring what clubs want. Arteta won’t stop pushing. Romano has been unequivocal on that point; Arsenal will return with another bid. The journalist stated plainly: “Arsenal will try again, they’ll bid again, you can be sure Arsenal will return to the table.” The question is whether Newcastle’s resolve holds firm once a number lands somewhere north of £70 million with add-ons attached.
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