Arsenal start direct talks with Premier League rival to sign £75m-rated midfielder.
Arsenal are working hard to sign one of their top summer targets, according to a new report. They’ve started “direct talks” with another Premier League team about a deal that could cost around £75 million.
Since Mikel Arteta became manager in December 2019, the Gunners have spent nearly £1 billion on new players—and it looks like they’re not done yet.
Last month, Arsenal signed Ecuadorian defender Piero Hincapie for £34.5 million. He had been on loan at the club last season from Bayer Leverkusen in Germany. Shortly after, goalkeeper Illan Meslier joined Arsenal on a free transfer after his contract with Leeds ended.
More recently, Arsenal agreed to pay £33.8 million to Belgian club Club Brugge for talented Greek winger Christos Tzolis, who will probably replace Leandro Trossard.
Arteta also wants to strengthen his midfield as Arsenal get ready to defend their Premier League title. Now, it seems they are serious about signing Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United.
At first, Arsenal didn’t want to offer more than £60 million. Newcastle, on the other hand, wants to be paid fully upfront with no add-ons. But on Tuesday, The Telegraph reported that Arsenal has started “direct talks” with Newcastle, and Guimaraes has told his current club he wants to join the champions.
The report says Newcastle may have to decide if Arsenal offers around £75 million for the Brazil international.
Last month, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano said Arsenal did try to sign Guimaraes, but the price was a problem. He said Arsenal hoped for a £55 million deal, but Newcastle refused to sell at that price. Romano added that Guimaraes is respecting Newcastle’s wishes and waiting to see what happens.
Arsenal were also interested in signing Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa but didn’t want to match the £117 million bid Chelsea made for the England player. Arsenal hoped Villa would accept around £90-100 million instead of their £100 million-plus asking price.