Eddie Howe has acknowledged he cannot guarantee Bruno Guimaraes will remain at Newcastle United, as Arsenal prepare a £70m bid for the Brazil international. Speaking after a 1-1 pre-season friendly draw with Gateshead on Saturday, the Newcastle head coach revealed he has held “really good conversations” with his captain but offered no assurances over his future. “I don’t know what’s going to happen with Bruno’s future. That’s for other people to speculate about. They are conversations that I’m not part of,” Howe said.
The 28-year-old midfielder, who joined Newcastle in 2022, is a priority target for the Premier League champions. According to sources, Guimaraes is keen to move to the Emirates, and personal terms are not expected to be an obstacle. However, Newcastle are adamant they do not want to sell their talisman and have so far received no direct approach from Arsenal, with the Gunners’ £70m offer believed to fall short of the Magpies’ valuation.
“Eddie Howe admits uncertainty over Bruno Guimaraes as Arsenal prepare £70m bid; midfielder keen to join Premier League champions.”
Newcastle have already lost Sandro Tonali to Tottenham and Anthony Gordon to Barcelona this summer, banking around £170m. The departures have weakened Howe’s midfield, prompting the arrivals of Sean Steur from Ajax and Aladji Bamba from Monaco for a combined fee of around £57m. Steur played the full 90 minutes against Gateshead, with Howe praising his “really good” debut.
Guimaraes has been on holiday with his family following Brazil’s World Cup last-16 exit to Norway. He is due back at Newcastle on Friday, July 31, and will then join the squad for a pre-season training camp in Spain. “There’s nothing to say Bruno won’t be back training with us,” Howe insisted, drawing a contrast with last summer when Alexander Isak pushed to leave for Liverpool in a £125m deal. “You’ve got to look at it in its own right,” the head coach added. “Bruno is the captain of our football club. He’s been an unbelievable player and person.”
Arsenal, who also retain interest in Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa, are determined to strengthen their squad after winning the title last season. Their pursuit of Guimaraes has accelerated in recent days, but whether Newcastle yield to the pressure—and the player’s apparent desire to leave—remains the central question of a transfer saga that shows no sign of resolution.
