Bruno Guimaraes certainly has interest from Arsenal but Newcastle United are not in a position to proceed with advanaced talks
The agent of Bruno Guimaraes has broken his silence amid talks over a move to Bruno Guimaraes
Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes(Image: Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
Newcastle United and Bruno Guimaraes are set for D-day ahead of his July 31 return date after fresh talks of a bid were dismissed last night.
Just before the close of play, social media suggestions of an increased offer of £80m plus add ons emerged on X, but Chronicle Live was told such a bid was false.
And just as intriguingly, high-placed sources at the Arsenal end claimed the Gunners would not go close to £80m for the player, who turns 29 later this year.
It remains to be seen whether Arsenal decide to pull the plug on talks with the player's agent, with Newcastle chiefs unwilling to part with Guimaraes for the £70m price tag bandied around on July 23 when the BBC made a big claim that a concrete offer was close.
However, the £70m bid wasn't tabled, which is why fresh talk of £80m on Saturday evening left Newcastle sources mystified.
With Newcastle adamant that they don't want to part with the Brazil star and head coach Eddie Howe making it clear he wants the midfielder to stay, the situation may boil down to the stance of Bruno's advisors and the will of the player himself.
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Howe spoke highly of Bruno's character after the disappointing 1-1 draw with National League side Gateshead with the expectation and the instruction from Newcastle to their captain to link up with the squad for next week's trip to La Manga for pre-season.
The fanbase have debated whether he will return if a deal with Arsenal is not in place and whether Bruno would copy what Alexander Isak did last summer when he refused to play or train to secure a £125million move to Liverpool.
The big difference here is that Newcastle have not had an official bid of £70m or the £80m claimed last night and that, as things stand, Bruno is still the captain of the Magpies with the big kick off for the 2026/27 season just around the corner.
Howe said yesterday: "Yes, I've spoken to him as I would do. Bruno, normally, is just a fantastic person.
"We've had some really good conversations, both before the World Cup, during the World Cup and after the World Cup. What we speak about obviously has to remain private. He's just a great player and a great person."
Howe also added: "Look, I don't know what's going to happen with Bruno's future. That's for other people to speculate about, but also conversations that I'm not part of."
Bruno still has two years left on his current deal and the club also believed to have a one year option to trigger if they see fit.
The reality is, Bruno will have a tipping point and every player has a price, but by the same token Newcastle are unlikely to sell at a fee that suits Arsenal.
A potential stalemate this week leaves Bruno with a decision to make in terms of returning to training for the La Manga boot camp.