Arsenal in 'advanced talks' for Guimaraes after 'verbal agreement' over €87m transfer

28 Jul 2026 16:01 BST | 4 min read

Suraj Radia | Editor

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Arsenal are reportedly in ‘advanced talks’ with Newcastle to sign Bruno Guimaraes after allegedly reaching a ‘verbal agreement’ to sign the midfielder.

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Guimaraes has emerged as Arsenal’s top target in recent weeks and the Newcastle captain is understood to be keen on joining the Premier League champions this summer, with sources telling FootballTransfers that a deal is close.

Current ETV

Bruno Guimarães

M, DM (C)

Newcastle

Bruno Guimarães

M, DM (C)

Newcastle

ETV Range

€56.8M - €69.4M

Arsenal had so far not made a formal offer to Newcastle and had seen verbal proposals of around €70 million immediately rejected by the Magpies, who have no desire to sell their captain.

However, talkSPORT claim that progress has been made over a verbal agreement worth ‘north of £75m (€87.7m)’, with personal terms already in place.

Guimaraes is due to report to pre-season training with Newcastle on Friday and the 28-year-old is thought to have insisted that his future be resolved one way or another before his return.

However, Newcastle sources have continued to deny the reports of any talks whatsoever and remain adamant that formal contact has not been made by Arsenal during the entire saga, which is set to drag on.

Bruno Guimaraes: Newcastle growing frustrated as Arsenal interest drags on

Guimaraes has been a key figure for Newcastle since his arrival in 2022 and the Brazilian has a contract until 2028, although there is believed to be an option to extend for a further year.

© IMAGO - Bruno Guimaraes wants to move to Arsenal.

Newcastle have already seen a number of key departures this summer such as Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali after failing to qualify for Europe but they are determined to not have their captain join the growing exodus.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe admitted this week that, while he has had ‘positive’ conversations with Guimaraes, he is uncertain over the player’s future.

The entirety of Arsenal’s interest in Guimaraes has come through intermediaries and Newcastle would immediately reject an offer in the €80m region, although the club continue to stress that no formal bids have been made regardless.

The situation has been a cause of growing frustration for Newcastle due to the constant speculation being used to unsettle Guimaraes, particularly with no actual bid being placed.

All parties are keen to have the situation resolved quickly and Guimaraes is not thought to be considering an ‘Alexander Isak-style’ standoff ahead of his anticipated return to pre-season training in the coming days.