Bruno Guimaraes transfer: All set as Newcastle and Arsenal agree on midfielder’s price
By Luke Oluoch, August 5, 2026The lengthy transfer process for Newcastle United’s Brazilian midfielder, Bruno Guimarães, is near completion after the Magpies agreed to sanction his sale to Arsenal.
The Tyneside club is ready to approve the transfer after months of negotiations with Arsenal, having finally reached a compromise. According to football journalist David Ornstein, the move was previously delayed because negotiations began at a significantly lower fee proposed by Arsenal, whereas Newcastle demanded a higher valuation.
According to the latest valuation, the deal could be north of Ksh13 billion.
Lyon included in the profit deal
The deal will also involve 20 per cent of Newcastle’s profit being paid to Guimarães’ former club, Lyon.
As The Athletic reported in early July 2026, Guimarães informed Newcastle of his desire to leave the club and move to North London. Arsenal initially expressed a willingness to pay up to Ksh10.44 billion, but their formal verbal bids were rejected.
These revelations mark the most positive update yet in the protracted transfer saga, coming three days after transfer analyst Fabrizio Romano reported on the progress of Arsenal’s pursuit.
“Arsenal in direct talks again today with Newcastle to close Bruno Guimarães deal. Bruno waiting for green light to travel for medical and contract signing as soon as deal is completed. #AFC maintain total confidence,” Romano reported on Sunday, August 2, 2026.
Bruno Guimaraes profile
The deal will seal one of Mikel Arteta’s standout transfers of the summer. The midfielder made 153 Premier League appearances for the club, scoring 30 times and recording 26 assists, and was also part of the team that won the Carabao Cup in 2025.
The midfielder featured 41 times in all competitions last season, providing nine goals and eight assists.
Guimaraes started all five of Brazil’s games at the 2026 World Cup, providing four assists.
Gunners are also involved in a potential move for Vinícius Júnior as part of an ambitious plan to bolster the squad ahead of their Premier League title defence.
Speaking following Saturday’s pre-season win 4-1 win against Girona, Arteta emphasised that, much like their rivals, they expect further arrivals in the coming weeks as squad building intensifies ahead of the new season.
Active on transfer
“Well, we are really active, trying to improve and evolve the team. That’s clear. We expect to have movements in the next few weeks, obviously, because we want to get better like anybody else. You can just see the transfer market and our opponents. What we are doing, we won’t sit still, and we are very ambitious in what we want to do,” he said.