Arsenal leave Newcastle 'flabbergasted' in Bruno Guimaraes transfer saga

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Tom Weber | Writer

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

Newcastle have been left "stunned" and "flabbergasted" by Arsenal's conduct in the ongoing Bruno Guimaraes transfer saga.

At the end of June, reports emerged that the Gunners had submitted a verbal offer for the Magpies captain. Although Guimaraes is linked with a transfer every summer, this came somewhat out of the blue.

There had been seemingly no credible links in the days leading up to it, and the story quickly went quiet again because Newcastle rejected the offer out of hand and because of the player's participation in the World Cup.

However, behind the scenes, things continued to stir, and tension began to rise at Newcastle. FootballTransfers exclusively revealed that the St. James' Park club were growing increasingly concerned that Guimaraes could start pushing for the move.

Word coming out of the Brazil camp was that the 28-year-old was keen on the transfer to Arsenal after growing frustrated at Newcastle. Given his age, this is likely the final opportunity for him to join a club that regularly challenges for the biggest honours in football.

Guimaraes to Arsenal: The state of play

What we reported came to pass earlier this week, when it was revealed that Guimaraes had officially informed Newcastle of his desire to pursue a transfer to Arsenal. This was a huge blow, even if his club continue to insist that he is not for sale.

A bid from Arsenal is expected for the Brazil international, but it remains unclear whether a deal will materialise. Because of his age and the lack of a pressing need to sign a marquee midfielder, the Gunners are reticent to overpay.

Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie has now sought to provide clarity on the deal's state of play. Speaking from a Newcastle perspective, the journalist has revealed that the club have been left "flabbergasted" by the whole situation.

According to Downie's information, Arsenal have yet to actually make contact with Newcastle. So far, all the communication has taken place via intermediaries. There have been no talks with Andrea Berta or anyone else working for the Gunners.

The fact that there is so much noise around this deal while there has not actually been any contact from the North London club has "stunned" Newcastle. Obviously, all this speculation does is unsettle Guimaraes, who is currently on holiday.

Downie corroborates that the 28-year-old has informed Newcastle of his desire to leave and that this was directly communicated to the club by Guimaraes, not by anyone else.

In order to get his move to Arsenal, the midfielder and his representative, Alexis Malavolta, have teamed up with superagent Kia Joorabchian, who is known to be a fan of the Gunners. Malavolta recently posted a picture with Joorabchian on social media, which caused a stir.

Crucially, this saga is not about money for Guimaraes. It is purely a footballing decision. At the same time, the player does not want to ruin his strong relationship with Newcastle.

He won't pull an Alexander Isak and effectively go on strike. He does want to pursue the opportunity to join Arsenal and challenge for major honours, but he is not forcefully agitating for a transfer, at least not yet.

Staying put would not be the end of the world for him, and he is understanding of the fact that Newcastle are not going to sell him unless they receive top dollar. That said, no price has been set for him.

Downie posits that the Magpies could demand as much as €100m given Guimaraes' importance to the club. However, the reporter openly admits that there is no way of knowing whether a deal will be completed at this stage.

Will Arsenal pay that much for a soon-to-be 29-year-old? We simply don't know because they have not actually made a formal offer yet.