Arsenal EXCLUSIVE: Record deal for Bruno Guimaraes ON as Edu is given genuine transfer belief

Arsenal are gaining in confidence they can strike a huge summer deal for Bruno Guimaraes after multiple sources told TEAMtalk that Edu had been given real belief that a deal to bring his compatriot to the club from Newcastle CAN go through.

The Gunners are pushing hard to win the Premier League title this season after another season of progress under Mikel Arteta. And while Manchester City remain favourites to pip them past the post, it has been a thoroughly-satisfying season for Arsenal, who have boasted the best defence and the best attack so far.

They have three games left to go and while a win in all those may not yet prove enough, the Gunners could not have done more to try and dethrone Manchester City as champions and prevent them winning a fourth successive English crown.

Like all sides, though, Arsenal cannot afford to stand still and Arteta’s side have two or three glaring weaknesses that do need fixing this summer.

DON’T MISS: Four glaring areas Arsenal must upgrade to challenge for UCL glory next season

Indeed, their quest to sign a new No 9  is well documented and encouraging reports on Thursday morning suggested a deal was close to being struck for Bologna frontman Joshua Zirkzee after Edu reportedly offered the Dutchman ‘staggering numbers’ to make the move to north London.

Arsenal also need a solution to their left-back issue with a range of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jakub Kiwior and Takehiro Tomiyasu all covering – though none making the spot their own – over the course of this season.

They do have Kieran Tierney returning from a loan spell with Real Sociedad this summer, though TEAMtalk sources expect the Scot to leave Emirates Stadium and does not fit into the long-term plans of Arteta.

Signing a new midfielder is paramount to Arsenal this summer

Summer 2023 signing Jurrien Timber is also nearing his return to senior action after suffering a terrible ACL injury on debut on the first day of the season. The Dutchman is back in training and was playing left-back at the time of his injury, so presents another viable option there for Arsenal.

However, arguably the biggest issue facing the Gunners this season is their midfield conundrum.

The Gunners broke their transfer record to sign Declan Rice in a deal worth up to £105m from West Ham last summer and the England man has looked well worth the investment with some absolutely stellar displays in the middle of the park. In fact, it would be hard to image where Arsenal would have been without the influence and energy of Rice in their engine room this season.

And while Jorginho has been offered a new deal and is now expected to extend his stay at Arsenal, the imminent departure of Mohamed Elneny, together with the injury-hit season put in by Thomas Partey, means finding a long-term and top-quality partner for Rice is of paramount importance for Arsenal and their transfer strategy this summer.

And while Partey has been assured he will remain at Arsenal next season, TEAMtalk understands that the Gunners will consider offers for the Ghanaian, who now has just over 12 months left on his deal and will unlikely to be offered a new one.

Therefore, the capture of a new midfielder has very much been in Arsenal’s thinking as far as the summer 2024 transfer window is concerned.

They have strongly considered a move for Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz – a player Arteta admires hugely and tried to sign on at least two occasions in the past.

However, Aston Villa’s insistence that Luiz is not for sale, together with their apparent £120m valuation on the 13-times capped Brazil midfielder, means a deal looks unlikely.

Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal: Edu confident of striking a deal

As a result, Arsenal have been forced to look elsewhere and that is what has led them to Guimaraes.

The 26-year-old has proved an absolute revelation since a £40m move to Newcastle from Lyon in January 2022, proving himself one of the Premier League’s best all-round midfielders and becoming a huge fans’ favourite in the first place.

However, while the player is not agitating to leave St James’ Park, where he is extremely happy and settled in the area, we understand the player would be open to a move to either Arsenal, or their fellow suitors Manchester City, if the opportunity arose.

In an ideal world, Newcastle do not want to sell either. However, the club are likely to need to sacrifice one major sale this summer to help  keep the club within FFP limits and help with their own summer rebuilding plans.

IN DEPTH ~ Bruno Guimaraes next move: FIVE clubs who should break the bank for Newcastle standout

And with Guimaraes and striker Alexander Isak seen as their two prized assets, Arsenal are now pushing hard to secure the signing of the former.

As a result, sources have informed us that Arsenal chief Edu has been given real belief a deal can go through this summer, with Newcastle sticking a minimum £80m price tag on the 20-times capped Brazil midfielder’s head.

Some suggest the Magpies could also seek as much as £120m for the 26-year-old, though.

Either way, there is a belief now that Newcastle are reluctantly open to his sale given a belief that they see it as harder to replace Isak, who has also become hugely important to their cause. As a result, Arsenal are extremely well positioned to take advantage of Newcastle’s situation.

Such a signing would give Arteta the elite midfield pairing he craves with Rice and Guimaraes in tandem arguably as good as anything else worldwide.