NEWCASTLE UNITED are adamant nothing has changed with Bruno Guimaraes despite renewed speculation linking their skipper with a potential move to Arsenal.
A series of reports emerged earlier today claiming that senior Arsenal officials had entered into ‘club-to-club’ talks with their counterparts at Newcastle over a proposed deal worth around £80m.
However, as has been the case throughout this summer’s ongoing transfer saga surrounding their skipper, senior Newcastle sources remain adamant that no such discussions have taken place.
The Magpies maintain that they have not received a formal approach or offer from Arsenal for Guimaraes, who was granted an extended summer break after helping Brazil reach the latter stages of the World Cup.
Guimaraes is due to return to Newcastle’s training ground on Friday, ahead of travelling to a training camp in La Manga with the rest of the first-team squad at the weekend, and the Newcastle hierarchy maintain that they still expect the midfielder to arrive as expected.
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There have been suggestions that Guimaraes is keen to move to Arsenal this summer, with the reigning Premier League champions clearly interested in acquiring his services. However, the Magpies captain has not made any public comment over his future, and at this stage, it is still thought unlikely that he will try to force through a move to the Emirates Stadium in the same way that Alexander Isak made it all-but-impossible for Newcastle to prevent him from joining Liverpool last summer.
Having already sold Anthony Gordon to Barcelona and Sandro Tonali to Tottenham this summer, Newcastle are understandably extremely reluctant to consider losing their skipper in the same window. That said, though, their CEO, David Hopkinson, has conceded they need to become “better sellers” and Guimaraes is due to turn 29 in November.
Having drawn their opening pre-season game at Gateshead on Saturday, Newcastle return to action when they travel to Ashton Gate to face Bristol City tomorrow night.
Some of Newcastle’s World Cup contingent could feature against the Championship side, with Nick Woltemade, Malick Thiaw, Yoane Wissa and Anthony Elanga all having been back in training on Tyneside this week. New signing Aladji Bamba could also get a first run-out in Newcastle colours after joining from Monaco.