Mikel Arteta transfer wish can finally be granted by Arsenal after waiting six years

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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will be hoping it is third time lucky as the Gunners step up their pursuit of Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes. The Brazil international, currently representing his nation at the FIFA World Cup in North America, has become a priority target for the Premier League champions as Arteta seeks to strengthen his midfield options ahead of the new campaign.

According to Chronicle Live, an intermediary bid worth approximately £45million for Guimaraes has already been rejected, with Newcastle maintaining their captain is "not for sale". Reports in Brazil have suggested that Guimaraes has a £60m release clause in his contract that can be activated this summer following Newcastle's failure to qualify for the Champions League .

However, sources on Tyneside have rubbished those claims and insist no such clause exists. Arsenal have also been connected with Guimaraes' Newcastle colleague Sandro Tonali, but the Magpies skipper is believed to be seen as the more achievable target after Newcastle turned down an £80m offer from Tottenham Hotspur for the Italian.

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Alternative possibilities include West Ham's Matheus Fernandes, Lille's Ayyoub Bouaddi and Bournemouth's Alex Scott, who is also drawing interest from Chelsea and Manchester United . Any new signing is likely to trigger the exit of Denmark's Christian Norgaard and could also raise questions over Martin Zubimendi's place as a regular starter.

Arteta has long been an admirer of Guimaraes and will be hoping his latest attempt finally bears fruit. The 28-year-old has been on Arsenal's wishlist ever since Arteta took the reins at the Emirates Stadium in late 2019 and has already been the target of at least two failed bids to bring him to north London.

In 2020, Arsenal were widely understood to be monitoring Guimaraes while he was still turning out for Athletico Paranaense in his native Brazil. The Gunners made contact with his representatives but opted to hold fire until the summer before launching a formal approach, allowing Ligue 1 outfit Lyon to pounce during the January transfer window and secure a €20m deal.

History repeated itself two years later before Guimaraes completed a £40m switch to Newcastle. His agent Alexis Malavolta subsequently revealed that Arsenal had expressed genuine interest, but Newcastle had acted swiftly during a World Cup year.

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"Newcastle arrived and they got serious. Bruno couldn't wait another six months to decide his future in a World Cup year," he said. Since arriving at Newcastle in 2022, Guimaraes has netted 31 goals in 195 appearances and became the first Newcastle captain in 70 years to lift a major domestic trophy after Eddie Howe's side won the Carabao Cup in 2025.

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