Arsenal’s imminent £70m offer for Bruno Guimaraes is unlikely to be accepted, and Chelsea won’t be joining the race for the midfielder, according to reports.
Sami Mokbel reported for the BBC on Thursday that Arsenal are set to make a £70m offer for Newcastle United’s Bruno Guimaraes, with the player reportedly a priority target for the Gunners.
Mokbel added that Guimaraes is keen on the move, and Newcastle are aware of his preference to join Arsenal, but sources at the north-east club insist they have no intention of selling.
The same source also revealed that Arsenal have a hardline maximum valuation of Guimaraes, and they’re unwilling to overpay.
Arsenal have already shown that they’ll pull out of a deal if the finances aren’t right, allowing Chelsea to sign Morgan Rogers after Villa set a high asking price.
With that in mind, it was a little concerning to see some media rumours on Thursday that Chelsea were also interested in Guimaraes.
But those claims have since been denied, with Bobby Manzi reporting for the Daily Mail that Chelsea are categorically denying interest in the midfielder, and Alex Crook confirming for talkSPORT that Chelsea aren’t in for Newcastle’s captain.
Fabrizio Romano reports that £70m probably won’t be enough to convince Newcastle, but it will be a way to get close. Arsenal are hoping to close the deal slightly over £70m, but they aren’t going to offer something completely crazy.
Romano adds that Mikel Arteta is “pushing like crazy” behind the scenes to try and get Guimaraes through the door, believing the Brazilian international to be the perfect player for Arsenal’s midfield.
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