This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.
Arsenal have finally begun “direct talks” with Newcastle United about signing Bruno Guimaraes, according to The Telegraph reporter Luke Edwards.
Posting on his X account, Edwards said that the Gunners’ opening proposal has been knocked back, but it looks like things have been put in motion:
First bid has been rejected. Talks likely to continue. After all the noise and false reports of direct talks things are finally happening.
Everything you have seen in the media the last few weeks was building to this point #nufc #arsenal https://t.co/XTOFzOG3Vf
— Luke Edwards (@LukeEdwardsTele) August 3, 2026
It’s likely that the Premier League champions will follow up with another offer for Guimaraes over the coming hours/days.
Why haven’t Arsenal spoken directly with Newcastle until now?
Intermediaries have reportedly taken centre stage in talks, with Guimaraes said to have recruited Kia Joorabchian to handle his affairs.
The superagent is likely to have acted as a go-between up until now, but it seems that the Gunners have decided to make things formal in order to get a deal over the line.
Newcastle are believed to be holding out for a fee in the region of £80m to £85m, so we shall see if Mikel Arteta’s side are prepared to go that high.
Get a brand new Arsenal 2026/27 away shirt from Fanatics
Guimaraes would be the club’s 4th summer signing
Arsenal have ramped things up in the transfer market over the past few weeks. Piero Hincapie’s permanent switch from Bayer Leverkusen had already been confirmed before the start of July, but the likes of Illan Meslier and Christos Tzolis have arrived since then.
The former was snapped up on a free transfer after being released by Leeds United at the end of last season, while the latter was signed from Club Brugge for £34m. The Greek international has replaced Leandro Trossard, who has left the Emirates for Besiktas.
