Arsenal sign Bruno Guimarães from Newcastle in £75m deal
Arsenal have completed the signing of Newcastle United captain and Brazil midfielder Bruno Guimarães on a four-year contract with the option of a further year. British media have reported the transfer fee to be around £75 million. After talks with Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta and manager Mikel Arteta, Guimarães said he felt he needed a "fresh challenge" in his life. He added: "I am very excited to start. We have difficult games this season and the team will play a very important role. I hope we can achieve our dreams." The 28-year-old joined Newcastle from Lyon in January 2022 and has established himself as one of the Premier League's most influential players over the past three seasons. He made a total of 195 appearances for Newcastle, scoring 31 goals, and in 2025 captained the side to victory in the League Cup, ending the club's long wait for a domestic trophy. Guimarães played for Brazil at this year's World Cup and has been a regular fixture in the national team in recent years. Capable of playing as both a defensive and a box-to-box midfielder, he is known for combining defensive qualities with creativity, goals and assists. Berta said of the transfer: "We have all seen that Bruno can play both as a defensive midfielder and as a box-to-box player. He brings quality and work rate combined, and every year he has provided goals and assists for his team." According to Berta, Guimarães' arrival will allow Arteta to further develop Arsenal's style of play and increase internal competition, which is necessary to maintain the standards required to win major trophies. The arrival of Guimarães at the Emirates Stadium adds to Arteta's midfield options alongside Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Merino and club captain Martin Ødegaard. The transfer could also help manage match congestion and reduce the workload on players such as Rice, who was a cornerstone of Arsenal's run to their first league title in 22 years last season. The move represents another blow to Newcastle, who have previously lost Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali, while manager Eddie Howe has stepped down. German coach Matthias Jaissle has replaced Howe. Arsenal begin the new season at home against newly promoted Coventry City on August 21.