Arsenal are in formal discussions with Newcastle United over a potential move for captain Bruno Guimaraes, with the Brazil midfielder keen to join the Premier League champions.
The two clubs have now moved beyond earlier contact conducted through intermediaries and are negotiating directly over the 28-year-old midfielder. Although an agreement has not yet been reached, people involved in the discussions believe the transfer is moving towards a resolution.
Arsenal are expected to return with an improved offer after Newcastle rejected an unspecified bid. Neither club has disclosed the value of that proposal, but BBC Sport previously reported that Arsenal would need to increase a £70m offer made through intermediaries last month.
A source at Newcastle has since confirmed that the club turned down an approach from Arsenal. Despite that setback, the north London club remain interested in Guimaraes and are expected to make another attempt to sign him.
Guimaraes has travelled as planned to Spain for Newcastle’s pre-season training camp in La Manga, following his post-World Cup break. His involvement in the camp comes while negotiations over his future continue.
The midfielder is a priority target for Arsenal as manager Mikel Arteta seeks to strengthen his squad further after the club won the Premier League last season. Guimaraes’ leadership and performances for Newcastle have made him a major focus of their recruitment plans.
Arteta was asked about Guimaraes over the weekend but did not comment directly on the Newcastle captain. The Arsenal manager did, however, indicate that the club remain determined to add to their squad.
“We need to increase the competition internally,” he said.
“We need to make sure we identify the things that we don’t have in the team.”
Arteta also described Arsenal as “very active” and “very ambitious in what we want to do”.
Any agreement will depend on whether Arsenal can meet Newcastle’s valuation, with the clubs still required to settle the financial terms of a possible deal. The fact that negotiations are now taking place directly between the clubs suggests the transfer has progressed, but there remains no guarantee it will be completed.
Guimaraes joined Newcastle’s pre-season preparations after helping the club finish 12th in the Premier League last season. He contributed nine goals and eight assists in all competitions during the campaign.
His current position as Newcastle captain adds further significance to the discussions, while his stated desire to move to Arsenal could influence the direction of the negotiations. For now, however, he remains a Newcastle player and has travelled with the squad to La Manga as planned.
