Guimaraes tells Newcastle he wants Arsenal move after Brazil exit

Bruno Guimaraes has told Newcastle he wants to join Arsenal, but the Magpies are refusing to consider selling their captain. Arsenal have not made a club-to-club approach, although conditions of a possible deal have been explored through intermediaries.

The Brazil midfielder’s future has become a major talking point after his World Cup exit with Norway, where he missed a penalty in the last-16 defeat. Newcastle still have two years left on his contract, plus an option for a further year, and their stance remains that he is not for sale.

Guimaraes has been central to Newcastle’s rise in recent seasons. Since joining from Lyon for £35m in January 2022, he has become a crowd favourite and helped lead the club to their first domestic trophy in 70 years, lifting the Carabao Cup as captain. Losing him would be a major blow, especially after the summer departures of Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon.

That is why Newcastle are so firm. Eddie Howe is believed to be desperate to keep one of his most important players, and the club do not want to repeat the damage caused by last summer’s painful exit saga involving Alexander Isak. They know another high-profile departure would force yet another rebuild.

From Arsenal’s point of view, Guimaraes makes sense as a target. He is proven in the Premier League, has the work rate and technical quality they value, and would add experience to a midfield they want to strengthen. Reports earlier in the summer suggested Arsenal had already explored a move for either Guimaraes or his former Newcastle teammate Tonali.

The key question now is whether Arsenal push on with a formal bid. Newcastle are still saying no, but Guimaraes’ desire to leave has clearly changed the tone of the discussion. If Arsenal decide to test that resolve, this could become one of the biggest transfer stories of the summer.