Arsenal have been given the belief that a deal for Bruno Guimaraes can accelerate quickly over the coming days after learning the price Newcastle will reluctantly accept for his transfer, while an observer has dived into the nightmare Eddie Howe is facing at St James’ Park.
Publicly, Newcastle are insisting their captain is NOT for sale, and they will block any attempts to prise him out of St James’ Park.
However, it’s widely documented that Guimaraes has greenlit a move to north London, feeling he has achieved all he can with the Magpies and fuelled by a desire to play at the very top level on a consistent basis.
TEAMtalk understands that an agreement over personal terms has already been reached with Arsenal, and while an official bid is now expected to be launched, there remains a significant difference over valuations.
Nonetheless, an update from Brazil suggests there is growing confidence that a deal will be done.
Per Globo Esporte, Guimarães has two big reasons for wanting to leave Tyneside, where he has played with distinction since a January 2022 move from Lyon.
Citing his desire to play in the Champions League and challenge for the game’s top honours with Arsenal, they also reveal Guimaraes has been left frustrated by Newcastle’s decision to sanction the sales of Alexander Isak to Liverpool last summer, coupled with this summer’s exits of Anthony Gordon (to Barcelona) and Sandro Tonali (to Tottenham Hotspur).
And while Newcastle will feel they were backed into a corner over all three of those deals, Guimaraes does not feel they have been sufficiently replaced, signalling the end of their own chances of becoming a top European side.
They also claim the 28-year-old held a frank discussion with Eddie Howe towards the end of last season, expressing his frustrations at the club’s downward spiral and making clear his desire to leave if things don’t improve. Sadly, the departures of Gordon and Tonali look to have tipped him over the edge.
In light of that, discussions between the two clubs are expected to commence in due course, with a deal now dependent on an agreement over a fee and with a medical now seen as the final step…
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Newcastle stand firm over Bruno Guimarães as asking price emerges
Regarding the fee, sources have told TEAMtalk that the Magpies remain adamant they will not allow one of their prized assets to leave, however, and especially not on the cheap.
We understand suggestions Newcastle would accept offers in the region of £60million have been firmly dismissed internally.
Instead, well-placed sources insist it would take a package worth closer to £100million before the club would seriously consider sanctioning the midfielder’s departure.
Brazil’s surprise World Cup exit to Norway has broughtGuimarães ‘ summer plans forward.
The expectation had been that he would still be involved in the tournament, meaning discussions over his future were initially scheduled to intensify later in the month. Instead, his camp has wasted little time.
We can reveal fresh talks have taken place with Arsenal, with the midfielder once again making it clear that joining Mikel Arteta’s side is his preferred outcome.
Per Globo Esporte, Arsenal plan to start the bidding at £70m (€82m, $94m), though with a realistic expectation that a deal could be struck for around the £80m (€94m, $107m) mark.
It’s claimed any deal would want that cash guaranteed, rather than as part of add-ons and transfer bonuses.
Should Newcastle stick their £100m price point, there is clearly a big difference in price to be made up. However, all sources are adamant that a deal will progress quickly.
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Dyche rues the end of PIF’s Newcastle dream
Speaking to talkSPORT, former Everton boss Sean Dyche feels for Howe and feels he has a massive issue trying to keep his squad intact and the PIF dream alive.
“It’s certainly not enjoyable for him, I’m sure of that,” Dyche said.
“I think having done so much work to build a group of players who are certainly competitive without a shadow of a doubt and the fan base has gone along with that.
“Great fans sticking behind it and building it with them and the finances, to be fair.
“But when you see these players and it starts coming apart, that’s when it gets really difficult.”
Dyche also fears player power will win out and Guimaraes will get his way.
“The way modern players are, the power they’ve got, I get the idea the club can say no, but if you’re going to say no in the old days, 15, 20 years ago, it’d be ‘look, you’re under contract, there will come your time’ and all that.
“Now it’s almost like ‘ok, so no’, but you have to give them an increased contract. I’m not saying these players are using it for that, but that’s the way it works now.
“If a player does get genuine interest and the club put in an offer, you then have to go to them pretty quickly and say, ‘right, we want you to sign a new contract’.
“And if you don’t, you’ve got trouble then because you’ve got a player coming in every day that doesn’t really want to be there.
“I’m not generalising. I’m not using this individual player. I’m just saying – that’s the way the market’s changed.
“The power of the player, the power of the agents has changed significantly, even over the last probably five years. It’s a different ball game now.”
For Arsenal, sporting director Andrea Berta is juggling several high-profile negotiations this summer, includingArsenal’s pursuit of Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers while also maintaining theirinterest in Club Brugge winger Christos Tzolis.
There has also been a sizeable update on Saturday on their battle with Liverpool to sign PSG star Bradley Barcola.