Arsenal prepare new Bruno bid despite Newcastle’s Tonali agreement

Arsenal haven’t given up on signing Bruno Guimaraes this summer, despite Sandro Tonali’s move to Tottenham Hotspur increasing Newcastle United’s resolve.

With Newcastle United agreeing to sell Sandro Tonali to Tottenham Hotspur for a package worth £100m, there have certainly been suggestions that the north-east club will be less willing to do business for Tonali’s midfielder partner Bruno Guimaraes this summer.

Lee Ryder reported for Chronicle Live on Thursday that Newcastle intend to keep Guimaraes, though he did add that those intentions may not be enough to put Arsenal off.

Jack Rosser and Simon Collings have since reported for The S*n that Arsenal haven’t given up hope of signing Guimaraes this summer, believing a deal is still there to be done. The Gunners are reportedly set to return with a package worth around £60m.

James McNicholas of The Athletic reported this week that personal terms aren’t expected to be an issue if Arsenal can agree a deal with Newcastle, which at least removes one hurdle.

But McNicholas added that Newcastle’s position remains that the player is not for sale, and that Arsenal are still yet to contact them or submit a bid directly. Their only proposal came through intermediaries.

Ryder added in another piece for the Chronicle that Arsenal believe a £65m bid could be enough to do a deal.

Arsenal are certainly in the market for a midfielder this summer, and Guimaraes is coming off the back of a good season.

Whilst Newcastle struggled on the whole, the Brazilian international scored nine goals and assisted eight in 41 appearances before jetting off to the World Cup, where he has four assists in four games.

At 28, the player should still have a few good years ahead of him, though Arsenal will be reticent to pay anything like the amount they put up for a 24-year-old Declan Rice, or what Spurs have just paid for a 26-year-old Tonali.

It’s unlikely Guimaraes would be worth a huge amount another four or five years down the line, so that’s going to affect how much the Gunners will be willing to offer.

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