Arsenal ready to walk away from Bruno Guimarães move after £50m-to-£100m price shock

Arsenal are on the verge of dropping their interest in Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimarães after a significant miscommunication over his transfer fee threatened to derail the deal entirely, according to The Telegraph.

The Gunners had identified the Brazilian as a priority midfield signing for Mikel Arteta this summer and were reportedly operating under the assumption that an offer of around £50m would be sufficient to convince Newcastle to sell. That figure, it appears, came from Guimarães’ own representatives — and it does not reflect what Newcastle are actually asking for.

Newcastle have instead set their asking price at approximately £100m, a valuation shaped in part by the club having already sold Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon this summer. Arsenal are unwilling to meet that figure and are now said to be ready to move on.

Guimarães, who captains Newcastle and is contracted at St James’ Park until 2028 with an option for a further season, had reportedly requested to leave the club this summer. Earlier reports had even claimed he had agreed personal terms on a five-year deal with Arsenal, though those claims have been firmly denied by those close to the club.

Former Newcastle co-owner Mehrdad Ghodoussi described the speculation as “utter nonsense,” while head coach Eddie Howe was equally dismissive when Manchester United were previously linked with the midfielder in a similar fashion.

“I don’t even know how to respond to that,” Howe said at the time. “For me it’s a nonsense story. Bruno’s our captain, he’s fully committed. He’s injured at the moment, his only focus is coming back to fitness.”

Howe added: “To say our captain is in discussions with another club is totally disrespectful to Bruno more than anything else. He is totally committed here.”

For now, Guimarães remains a Newcastle player, and with the two clubs so far apart on valuation, Arsenal appear set to redirect their transfer resources elsewhere.