The real reason why Arsenal ‘immediately said no’ to signing Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle

Bruno Guimaraes has been on Arsenal’s radar for a long time.

Edu Gaspar has great connections with Brazilian players, and he has had an eye on the talented Newcastle United midfielder since he was in his home country.

Arsenal wanted to sign Guimaraes when he was at Atletico Paranaense and later when he moved to Lyon. Sadly, no move materialised on both occasions.

The Gunners still definitely like Guimaraes, but a move in this window is extremely unlikely because of one particular reason.

Arsenal ‘said no’ to sign Bruno Guimaraes because of Newcastle’s demand

Arsenal need a new midfielder before the window shuts.

The Gunners are yet to properly replace Granit Xhaka after he left the club for Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2023. Even though Mikel Arteta’s side have improved overall, the Swiss international has been a big miss on the left side of the pitch.

Arsenal are short of options in the middle of the park now after selling Emile Smith Rowe, loaning out Albert Sambi Lokonga and releasing Mohamed Elneny.

A number of midfielders have been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium, and Newcastle United star Guimaraes is one of them.

However, despite clear interest in the Brazilian, Arsenal have ‘said no’ to signing him because of his club’s transfer demands this summer.

That’s according to Steve Kay, who said on KS1 TV: “He’s a really good player, is he a £100 million midfielder? I don’t think so, and that turned off Arsenal and Man City.

“If he became available, similarly to [Viktor] Gyokeres, at about £50-60 million, I’m sure he’d be someone we’d be looking at, but at the price they want, I think they more or less immediately said no.”

READ MORE: Arsenal target Bruno Guimaraes makes transfer feelings clear as statement made

Arsenal have found a cheaper alternative in midfield

Guimaraes would’ve certainly been a statement signing, but £100 million is just way too much money for him despite his obvious qualities.

There was no way Arsenal were going to spend that much on another midfielder just a year after they smashed their transfer record on Declan Rice.

Edu and Arteta have found a cheaper alternative in Mikel Merino, who is a terrific player and is more than good enough to do the job at the Emirates.

Arsenal have had a bid rejected for Merino, but they are expected to go back in and get this deal over the line in the very near future.

It remains to be seen if Guimaraes will still remain a target for Arsenal in future windows if he stays at Newcastle United this summer.