Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal looks like it could be one of the transfer stories of the summer.
The Newcastle United midfielder has apparently made it clear that he wants to join Arsenal, while the Gunners have made two verbal proposals to Newcastle.
Bruno Guimaraes could be a fantastic signing for Arsenal, but, as ever, things aren’t simple here.
As of yet, there has been no breakthrough in negotiations, and when looking at the full picture, it does look as though the Gunners have made a mistake already in these negotiations.
💰 Bruno Guimaraes is turning 29 in November and has TWO years left on his contract… How much should Arsenal pay to sign him?
Arsenal have made Bruno Guimaraes mistake already
As ever, in transfer windows, timing can be incredibly important.
Deadline day moves are popular for a reason – that’s when desperation sets in for selling clubs and cut-price deals are often available.
However, certain transfers are able to go through early, and, this summer there has been a flurry of outward activity already at St James’ Park.
Sandro Tonali has left for Tottenham in what was a club-record deal for Spurs.
Meanwhile, Anthony Gordon has joined Barcelona in a big-money move too.
That’s where Arsenal’s mistake has come in.
Everyone in football knew that there was a chance Tonali and Gordon would leave Newcastle this summer – and that makes a move for Bruno Guimaraes that much harder.
After recouping circa £170m for Tonali and Gordon, Newcastle are under no financial pressure to sell Guimaraes, and the optics of selling your three best players in the same window are bad to say the least.
Arsenal will now face a serious fight to try and get Guimaraes out of St James’ Park, but it would’ve been a tad easier if they’d moved super early this summer.
Arsenal are a unique case in that their financial year starts and ends earlier than most other Premier League clubs, so they likely would have had the ability to make an early move for Guimaraes – perhaps even in May.
However, for one reason or another, Arsenal have waited until July to make this move, and with Tonali and Gordon already out the door, Newcastle could well make things difficult for Arsenal here.
The Alexander Isak saga last summer showed how stubborn Newcastle can be, so don’t be shocked if there’s a repeat here.
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