Arsenal's Ambitious Pursuit of Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali
Arsenal have opened the summer with ambition and a calculator in hand, sounding out what it would take to prise Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali away from Newcastle United.
These are not casual enquiries. The club has spoken with the camps of both midfielders, wanting hard numbers and clear conditions before deciding whether to move. One big central midfielder is the priority. Not two, not a committee signing. One headline act for the middle of Mikel Arteta’s team.
Big names, bigger price tags
Guimaraes, Newcastle’s captain and heartbeat, sits at the top end of the market. At 28, with two years left on his deal, he is leading Brazil at the World Cup and has parked all talk of his future until that campaign is over. Arsenal, though, have already done their homework, sounding out his representatives to understand the scale of the financial challenge.
Tonali is a different kind of puzzle. Newcastle have already rebuffed an offer of around £80m from Tottenham Hotspur and are under no pressure to sell. The Italian, who recently completed a 10‑month betting ban, signed a new contract during that suspension, effectively tying him to the club until 2030 as a show of mutual faith.
That faith has a price. With Manchester City monitoring Tonali’s situation and Newcastle in a strong negotiating position, the expectation inside the game is that any serious bid would need to push towards the £100m mark.
For now, there is a clear line from St James’ Park: Newcastle have not received an official approach from Arsenal for either player and do not want to lose Guimaraes, their captain and talisman.
A market gone wild
The wider market is only inflating those numbers. Manchester City have agreed a deal with Nottingham Forest for England midfielder Elliot Anderson at a club-record £116m. West Ham, meanwhile, are holding out for up to £80m for 21-year-old Mateus Fernandes, who is already on Tottenham’s radar.
In that climate, Newcastle can wait. If a bidding war breaks out for Tonali, they will be ready to drive the price up. Age will also weigh heavily on Arsenal’s calculations. Guimaraes turns 29 in November, Tonali turned 26 in May. For a club that has tried to build a core in its early to mid‑20s, those details matter when fees climb towards nine figures.
Younger options on the table
So Arsenal are not putting all their chips on Tyneside. Bournemouth’s Alex Scott has emerged as a serious alternative. At 22, with interest also coming from Manchester United and Chelsea, he fits the age profile of a long-term project who can grow with the squad. Sources indicate Arsenal’s interest in Scott is not tentative; he is firmly on the list.
Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi is another being closely studied, a Morocco international whose ceiling intrigues the recruitment team. Inside the Premier League, West Ham’s Fernandes has also been assessed. Tottenham view him as a key target, yet Arsenal have at least explored the merits of entering that race.
This is how Andrea Berta works. The sporting director is known for spinning several plates at once, pushing multiple negotiations forward, then striking decisively when the right opportunity and price align. Arsenal’s midfield search is following that familiar pattern.
Knock-on effects in north London
One thing is clear: someone will have to make way. Any major midfield arrival will trigger a reshuffle in Arteta’s core. Denmark international Christian Norgaard, now 32, is among those the club are prepared to listen to offers for, a sign that the engine room will not be allowed to grow old together.
There is also the looming question of Martin Zubimendi. Signed to be a metronome at the base of midfield, his status as a guaranteed starter would come under scrutiny if a marquee central midfielder walks through the door. Arteta has rarely shied away from bold selection calls; another big signing would test that resolve again.
For now, Arsenal are still in the talking stage, weighing the power of a statement move for Guimaraes or Tonali against the flexibility and future value of younger options like Scott, Bouaddi and Fernandes.
The money is there. The intent is clear. The only unknown is which midfielder Arsenal decide is worth reshaping their squad – and their budget – around.
