Arsenal have confirmed the arrival of Bruno Guimarães from Newcastle United, and sources can reveal the Gunners have also made contact to hijack a major Liverpool transfer.
Newcastle were holding out for £100 million for their captain, but Arsenal managed to sign him for £75 million in another masterclass from their sporting director, Andrea Berta.
The midfielder has signed a four-year contract with Arsenal that includes an option for an additional year.
Guimarães, who will wear his favoured No. 39 shirt at Emirates Stadium, told club media, “I feel amazing. I’m grateful for this opportunity. Ever since the first time I spoke to Berta and Mikel [Arteta], I was excited. I just felt inside that I needed a new challenge in my life, and I think being an Arsenal player is going to be an exciting one. I’m so excited to join you all. I will give you my best, I promise. I’m your warrior, and I’ll never give up. Hopefully, we can create many great memories together.”
Berta added, “We are delighted to welcome Bruno Guimarães to our club. Bruno is a player with a great mentality and exceptional quality who will bring strong leadership to our squad. With Bruno joining us, we are further strengthening the heart of our team. As we have all seen, he can play as both a defensive midfielder and a box-to-box player. He combines quality with work rate and has provided goals and assists for his team every year. Bruno will allow Mikel to develop our playing style further and will increase internal competitiveness, which is essential for maintaining the standards required when aiming to win major trophies.”
Guimarães becomes the latest high-profile star to leave Newcastle, following Alexander Isak last year, as well as Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali this summer.
Arsenal remain in the market for a new left winger after missing out on Morgan Rogers to Chelsea, with Paris Saint-Germain ace Bradley Barcola serving as a top target. Arsenal have already contacted Barcola’s representatives as they look to step up their interest in the France international.
Liverpool are currently the frontrunners for Barcola, having held talks with both the player and PSG, but Arsenal are aiming to disrupt those negotiations.
Reports on Friday claimed Liverpool had struck a €128m (£110m) agreement with PSG for Barcola, but sources confirm that discussions remain ongoing. The 23-year-old is pushing for a transfer, while PSG are holding out for a €150m (£129m) fee.
Although Barcola is attracted to the Liverpool project, Arsenal are actively trying to convince him to choose North London instead. Meanwhile, Arsenal have also learned Atletico Madrid’s final decision regarding the potential sale of Julián Alvarez this summer.