'Utter nonsense': Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal saga takes bizarre new twist

13 Jul 2026 17:32 BST | 4 min read

Tom Weber | Writer

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

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The strange Bruno Guimaraes transfer saga has taken a fresh twist amid Arsenal's ongoing pursuit of the Newcastle midfielder.

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The Brazil international has informed the Magpies of his desire to pursue a move to the reigning Premier League champions. In late June, a verbal offer was made for Guimaraes, resulting in the player having his head turned.

The bid, which was made via intermediaries, was rejected out of hand by Newcastle, who insists that their captain and star midfielder is not for sale. Eddie Howe has already lost two key players this summer in Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali.

Current ETV

Bruno Guimarães

M, DM (C)

Newcastle

Bruno Guimarães

M, DM (C)

Newcastle

ETV Range

€56.8M - €69.4M

Arsenal remain interested in Guimaraes, but it was revealed over the weekend that this transfer saga has left Newcastle "flabbergasted" and "stunned." To date, the Gunners have not actually made any direct contact with their counterparts.

All the communication over a potential deal has so far taken place via middlemen. Given this state of affairs, Newcastle feel that the whole thing has been blown out of proportion. There is no chance of a transfer happening unless Arsenal actually engage with the St. James' Park club.

Guimaraes saga takes bizarre twist

On Monday morning, the Guimaraes saga took a fresh twist when The Telegraph claimed that Arsenal had been "misled" by intermediaries during discussions over a potential deal.

It was asserted that these intermediaries implied that Guimaraes could be signed for as little as £50 million (€59m), with this number alleged to have emerged during a conversation with former co-owner Amanda Staveley.

Staveley, who officially left the club two years ago, is said to have insinuated that Guimaraes could be available for a fee in that ballpark if Newcastle failed to qualify for the Champions League.

However, she categorically denies that such a conversation ever took place, and her husband, Mehrdad Ghodoussi, dismissed the report as "utter nonsense" on X. Meanwhile, Newcastle insist that they would only consider a sale if offered a fee in excess of €100m.

As things stand, the deal remains deadlocked. Arsenal do not want to overpay for a player who turns 29 later this year, and they respect Newcastle's stance given his importance to the club.

Similarly, though Guimaraes is keen on a move to North London, he will not force the issue unless the Gunners actually make a bid close to Newcastle's valuation. This has not happened yet, and there is no guarantee that it will.

The Brazilian knows that this is potentially his final chance of joining a club that regularly challenges for major silverware, yet at the same time, he does not want to ruin his relationship with Newcastle and the fanbase.

Unless Arsenal decide to cough up €100m for the 28-year-old, it is difficult to imagine a world in which Guimaraes is playing his home games at the Emirates next season.

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