Bruno Guimaraes has informed Newcastle of his desire to join Arsenal.
The Premier League champions are ready to spend £65million to secure the 28-year-old, though Newcastle will hold out for more than that.
Eddie Howe’s side have already swallowed the bitter pills of losing Anthony Gordon to Barcelona and Sandro Tonali to Tottenham.
And for Arsenal fans, there is an intriguing detail in the Brazilian’s push for a move to the Emirates.
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Photographed alongside Guimaraes’ representative Alexis Malavolta in the wake of Brazil’s World Cup exit was Giuliano Bertolucci and, inevitably, Kia Joorabchian.
Kia Joorabchian has history with Arsenal
There was a period where Joorabchian’s shadow loomed large over North London.
The super-agent is a self-proclaimed lifelong fan of the club, and was heavily involved in a number of transfers during the chaotic, contacts-led executive era of Raul Sanllehi.
But the deals brokered under that regime summed up a club that had lost its direction.
Arsenal signed three players represented by Joorabchian in the space of 12 months, overlapping into the beginning of Mikel Arteta’s tenure.
First there was David Luiz, who started off disastrously but actually became an underrated figure at the start of Arteta’s rebuild.
Then there was right-back Cedric Soares, who was initially brought in on loan, before he was bizarrely given a long-term contract, despite being injured at the time.
And then there was Arteta’s first summer signing, Willian. The less said about that one, the better.
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As Arteta took more control and cleaned out the boardroom, Arsenal shifted away from using these types of agents, focusing instead on signing younger players using data.
However, it seems that certain figures never truly disappear. It’s a different situation this time around, though.
While Joorabchian used to bring Arsenal aging players looking for a final payday, his agency is now working to bring them a world-class midfielder in his prime.
How Kia Joorabchian’s connections help get the Bruno Guimaraes deal done
Guimaraes’ main agent, Malavolta, runs a smaller firm and needed the heavyweight muscle of Joorabchian and Bertolucci to force a move away from Newcastle.
This is where Joorabchian’s long history with Arsenal becomes a massive advantage for the player.
Because Joorabchian and Bertolucci, who also represents Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes, have a direct line to the club’s board, they will know exactly what financial package is needed to make the transfer happen.
Arteta wants Guimaraes to help ease the burden on Declan Rice in midfield.
Newcastle are publicly insisting they will not sell, but by using a broker who has a history with Arsenal, the wheels of this move are firmly in motion.
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