Arsenal Near £80m Bruno Guimaraes Deal as Vinicius Jr Bid Looms

Arsenal are on the brink of landing Bruno Guimaraes in a deal that underlines just how far the Premier League champions have shifted the landscape of English football.

The Gunners have agreed a package worth around £75million with Newcastle for the Brazil midfielder, a fee that could climb towards £80m with add-ons. It is the sort of money once reserved for the continent’s superclubs. Now it is Arsenal setting that pace.

Guimaraes, fresh from Brazil duty at the World Cup and a short holiday, flew into Newcastle’s pre-season camp in Spain on Monday. He is now expected to cut that stay short, head back to the UK and complete a medical before sealing his move to north London.

A long-term target, Guimaraes has agreed a four-year contract running until the summer of 2030 and has already spoken with new manager Mikel Arteta. The club are treating him as a cornerstone for the next phase of their project, a midfielder to dictate games in the way title-winning sides demand.

Arteta, though, refused to be drawn on the saga after Wednesday night’s 3-1 friendly defeat by Real Betis in Dublin. The questions came, as everyone knew they would.

"I'm not going to talk about any players who aren't Arsenal players," he said when asked how big a boost Guimaraes would be to his squad.

Pressed again on the impact a signing of that calibre might have, he stood firm. “Well, I can tell you at the moment that something happens and we can announce it. I will give you my straight answer.”

For now, the straight answer is that Arsenal are building with intent.

Guimaraes will become their fourth signing of the summer window. The champions have already brought in Greek winger Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge for £34m, added goalkeeper Illan Meslier on a free after his departure from Leeds, and exercised their option to make Piero Hincapie’s loan from Bayer Leverkusen permanent for around £34.5m.

• Tzolis offers direct running and end product from wide areas.
• Meslier strengthens competition in goal.
• Hincapie, the versatile Ecuador defender, adds depth and aggression across the back line.

Guimaraes, though, is different. He is a statement.

And Arsenal might not be finished there.

The club are ready to explore what would be the most audacious move in their history: a bid for Vinicius Jr. The Brazil star has entered the final 12 months of his deal at Real Madrid, a situation that would usually send Europe’s elite into a frenzy.

The champions sense an opening. A chance to pair Guimaraes with his international team-mate and reshape the attacking face of their side in one summer.

Madrid, though, are not in the mood to lose their talisman without a fight. Crunch talks on Wednesday between the Spanish club and Vinicius Jr’s representatives are understood to have gone well, and the LaLiga giants, along with head coach Jose Mourinho, are now confident he will commit to a lucrative new contract at the Bernabeu.

So Arsenal wait. Ready if the door opens, realistic enough to know it may slam shut.

Inside the dressing room, the ambition is welcomed. Defender Riccardo Calafiori, speaking after the defeat to Betis in Dublin, made no attempt to play down the scale of what the club are chasing.

“We are on that level now. We are on top,” the Italian said, underlining the mentality of a group that has just climbed the mountain and wants to stay there.

“We want to win the league again and we want to be even better than last season if we can. We need these kind of players, I think."

It was a simple message. Champions do not stand still. And Arsenal, with Guimaraes almost through the door and eyes still drifting towards Vinicius Jr, look determined to prove it.