Bruno Guimaraes is Arsenal’s midfield priority.
Mikel Arteta is personally driving the pursuit, and broad personal terms with the player are already agreed.
The Brazilian has told Newcastle he wants to leave for the Emirates, and his agents are putting the wheels in motion for a deal to be done.
Andrea Berta now just needs to make a formal bid.
💰 Bruno Guimaraes is turning 29 in November and has TWO years left on his contract… How much should Arsenal pay to sign him?
But Newcastle are digging in. Manchester United’s £50million deal for Andrey Santos will only give them more leverage to demand significantly more than the £65million Arsenal were previously willing to pay.
And if the Guimaraes pursuit does ultimately fall apart, the Premier League champions need a Plan B.
France vs Morocco on Thursday night made that alternative increasingly clear.
Who Arsenal should sign if the Bruno Guimaraes deal falls apart
Two names linked with Arsenal were on opposing sides in the first World Cup quarter-final.
18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi was in the heart of midfield for Morocco, while Roma’s Manu Kone partnered Adrien Rabiot in the centre for France.
👀 NAME a BETTER midfield target for Arsenal than Ayyoub Bouaddi… I bet you CAN’T…
🌟 The 18-year-old looked so good vs Brazil's at the World Cup!
It was Kone’s fourth start of the tournament, as he helped Gunners defender William Saliba to another clean sheet.
Kone won possession back six times before being replaced around the 70-minute mark with the game already wrapped up at 2-0.
Against Paraguay in the last 16, he completed the most passes of any player on the pitch with 66.
He has stepped seamlessly into a France midfield missing the injured Aurelien Tchouameni and looked every inch a player ready for the Premier League.
Why Manu Kone makes more sense for Arsenal than the alternatives
Arsenal have already explored Bouaddi as a midfield option, but the France game was evidence that he may not be quite ready.
The Lille teenager is still raw in possession and still developing his ball-carrying game, and at Arsenal he would be better suited to a loan or a right-back role at this stage of his career.
Kone, however, is a different proposition. At 25, he has the legs to cover Declan Rice, the composure on the ball to dictate tempo, and the physical presence to win it back when Arsenal are out of possession.
He would complement Rice as a pairing too, whereas there are doubts whether Bouaddi would do due to his lack of final third threat.
Alex Scott is another option Arsenal admire, but Bournemouth are insisting he is not for sale and would demand around £80million — yet another example of how broken the market is right now.
Kone, already proven on the international stage and reportedly available for around £50million, would offer considerably better value.
Manchester United are also in the race, having stepped up their interest in the Roma midfielder, so the Gunners may need to move quickly.
Arsenal will and should still prioritise Guimaraes, but if that door closes, Kone just made a very strong case for himself.
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