Third bid arrives as complications surface in Arsenal’s midfielder chase

Bruno Guimaraes TEAMtalk

Ligue 1 side Lyon have had a €17m bid rejected by Athletico Paranaense for midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, according to reports.

Guimaraes has impressed since his move to the Brazilian side in 2017, having made 84 appearances in all competitions.

The 22-year-old has recently been linked with the likes of Benfica and Arsenal but according to French news outlet Foot Mercato (via Get French Football News), Lyon have now firmly registered their interest with a bid.

The €17m bid is not reportedly not enough for Athletico, who want at least €20m for the player.

Benfica were reportedly in pole position earlier in January, with Athletico president Mario Celso Petraglia confirming that he had received an offer from the Portuguese side.

Petraglia also claimed that Arsenal wanted to wait until the summer to register their interest, although another report said that the Gunners’ director of football Edu has held talks over a deal.

Foot Mercato now claim that Athletico are complicating matters by demanding that they want to retain part of the ownership rights to Guimaraes.

 

 

The source adds that interested clubs will have to pay €40m in order to transfer 100% of the player’s rights.

Elsewhere, Monday’s newspapers reported that Paris Saint-Germain full-back Layvin Kurzawa has agreed to join Arsenal on a free transfer in the summer.

The 27-year-old will be a free agent when his deal in the French capital expires at the end of the season.

It is also claimed that the Gunners are targeting up to two more defensive additions in Jerome Boateng and Dayot Upamecano.

Another PSG star who could be on the move is striker Edinson Cavani, who has handed in a transfer request and been linked with Manchester United.