Eddie Howe has admitted he cannot guarantee Bruno Guimaraes will remain at Newcastle United, as Arsenal prepare to test the club’s resolve with a bid exceeding £70m for the Brazil midfielder.
Speaking after Newcastle’s 1-1 pre-season friendly draw against Gateshead on Saturday, Howe revealed he had held positive conversations with his captain before, during and after the World Cup but stressed that he was not part of any transfer discussions.
“Eddie Howe admits Bruno Guimaraes future uncertain as Arsenal prepare £70m+ offer after positive talks.”
“I don’t know what’s going to happen with Bruno’s future,” Howe said. “That’s for other people to speculate about. They are conversations that I’m not part of.”
Arsenal are expected to make an offer of more than £70m in the coming weeks, with transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano reporting that further negotiations will take place within days. Personal terms are already understood to have been agreed between the Gunners and the 28-year-old, who remains under contract at St James’ Park until 2028.
The resolution of the saga hinges on whether Newcastle approve a departure and what valuation they place on their talisman. Reports of an £80m bid on social media were dismissed by ChronicleLive, which added that Arsenal would be unwilling to meet an £80m asking price.
Guimaraes has been on holiday with his family following Brazil’s last-16 World Cup exit to Norway earlier this month. He is due to return to Newcastle on Friday and will then fly out with the squad for a pre-season training camp in Spain.
Howe drew comparisons with Liverpool’s pursuit of Alexander Isak last summer – the striker ultimately pushed to leave – but insisted “nothing to say Bruno won’t be back training with us”.
“Bruno is the captain of our football club,” Howe added. “I speak on behalf of everyone at the football club. We absolutely love him and, of course, everyone will want him to stay.”
Newcastle’s midfield has already been weakened by the departure of Sandro Tonali, who joined Tottenham this month in a deal worth up to £100m. In response, the club signed young midfielders Sean Steur from Ajax for up to £23m and Aladji Bamba from Monaco. Steur played the full 90 minutes against Gateshead and impressed Howe, who said “he played really well today”.
Willem Weijs, who coached Steur at Jong Ajax, described him as “one of the highest-rated” players in their academy. The 18-year-old showed glimpses of his technical ability and composure against National League Gateshead but will need time to adapt to the Premier League’s physicality.
Whether Guimaraes remains to anchor that midfield alongside the new arrivals remains an open question – one that Arsenal hope to answer with their next move.