- Bruno Guimarães is edging closer to Arsenal as negotiations with Newcastle United enter the final stages.
Arsenal and Newcastle nearing agreement for Bruno Guimarães
Arsenal are close to reaching an agreement with Newcastle United for Bruno Guimarães after negotiations accelerated this week, according to David Ornstein.
Newcastle’s initial stance was to keep the player when Arsenal came up with a verbal bid below £60 million, but later the player requested the move to West London, so the Magpies changed their stance as they don’t want to repeat what happened with the Isak saga last summer due to the firm stance of the club.
Why Arteta wants the Brazilian midfielder
The 28-year-old Brazilian is considered one of the best midfielders in the Premier League since his arrival at St. James' Park in January of 2022 from French club Lyon. He has featured in over 200 matches for the Magpies over the years and became a leadership figure in the middle of the pitch along with Sandro Tonali. His positional discipline and ability to move the ball forward with purpose are the main reasons why Arsenal targets him to bolster their midfield.
According to The Athletic, the player averages 12 passes under high pressure per 90, and none of the other Newcastle United players completed more line-breaking passes than the Brazilian last season.
How Guimarães would transform Arsenal's midfield
The profile of Guimarães is considered a tailor-made profile for Mikel Arteta's Arsenal, as he combines progressive passing with defensive discipline, qualities that make him a natural fit for Mikel Arteta's possession-based system. Apart from that, his arrival could make Arsenal one of the best midfield that could dominate on the ball and be able to dominate physically over opponents with peers including Declan Rice and Mikel Merino.
Medical could be the next step
As per Ben Jacobs of TalkSPORT, formal club-to-club negotiations started only a day ago, but verbal discussions were ongoing for several weeks. Now the broad agreement is in place, and both parties are finalizing the pending details.
Guimarães remains with Newcastle's preseason squad while both clubs work to finalize the remaining details of the agreement.