Arsenal prepare £70m bid for Bruno Guimaraes after midfielder signals desire to leave Newcastle

Arsenal are readying a £70m offer for Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes after the Brazil international informed the club he wants to move to Emirates Stadium, according to a report in The Sun.

Mikel Arteta has made the recruitment of a new central midfielder his leading priority in the current transfer window and views Guimaraes as his top target as Arsenal look to strengthen a squad that won the Premier League title last season.

Newcastle have so far resisted any suggestion of selling their captain this summer, but Arsenal are set to test that stance with a formal bid worth up to £70m. The London club had previously explored the possibility of a deal through intermediaries and were initially prepared to move at around £60m before deciding to increase their proposal in an attempt to force a breakthrough.

The same report says Guimaraes has told Newcastle officials he wants to join Arsenal, a development that is expected to accelerate talks between the two clubs over the coming week.

New arrivals after quiet start

Arsenal’s move for Guimaraes comes as their business in the market begins to gather pace following a relatively quiet start to the window.

On Thursday the club completed the signing of Club Brugge winger Christos Tzolis in a £34m deal. The Gunners also finalised the permanent transfer of defender Piero Hincapie for another £34m, having had the Ecuador international on loan from Bayer Leverkusen last season.

In addition, goalkeeper Illan Meslier has arrived on a free transfer, further reshaping Arteta’s options ahead of the new campaign.

Missed out on Rogers as Chelsea win race

Arsenal have not been successful in every pursuit. They failed to land Morgan Rogers, with the England forward instead joining Chelsea in a deal worth £117m.

Arteta had been a strong admirer of Rogers and placed him among his key attacking targets for the summer. However, Arsenal’s hierarchy declined to match Chelsea’s substantial bid, a stance that persuaded Aston Villa to accept the London rivals’ offer.

Further defensive and attacking targets

Arsenal are still looking to add at least three more players before the window closes, with a defender, a central midfielder and a forward all on the agenda, The Sun reports.

Ezri Konsa has emerged as a leading candidate to bolster the back line, particularly after William Saliba was ruled out for several months with a back injury. John Stones is also under consideration following the expiry of his contract with Manchester City at the end of last month.

In attack, Arsenal continue to monitor Julian Alvarez. Atletico Madrid, though, are adamant the Argentina forward is not for sale and have reiterated their position both publicly and privately.

Elsewhere in Europe, Bradley Barcola could leave Paris Saint-Germain during the current window, but Liverpool are currently viewed as the frontrunners to sign the French winger.