Eddie Howe has admitted he cannot guarantee Bruno Guimaraes will remain at Newcastle United this summer, as Arsenal prepare to step up their pursuit of the club captain with a £70m offer.
Speaking after Saturday’s 1-1 pre-season friendly draw against Gateshead, the Newcastle head coach revealed he has held positive talks with the Brazil midfielder before, during and after the World Cup – but insisted the final decision is beyond his control.
“Arsenal prepare £70m bid for Guimaraes as Howe admits captain's future out of his hands.”
“I’ve had some really good conversations with him,” Howe said. “What we speak about has to remain private, but he’s just a great player, a great person. 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.”
According to sources close to the deal, Arsenal have already submitted three verbal proposals for the 28-year-old, and personal terms are said to have been agreed between Guimaraes and the Gunners – though senior figures at St James’ Park insist no official approach has been lodged.
Newcastle are in a difficult position. They have already lost Sandro Tonali to Tottenham Hotspur in a deal worth up to £100m this month, and saw Anthony Gordon depart for Barcelona. Howe described losing those two as “painful” and admitted it has been “another challenging summer so far.”
“You’ve got to look at it in its own right,” Howe said of the Guimaraes situation. “Bruno is the captain of our football club. He’s been an unbelievable player and person all through the time we have worked together. I speak on behalf of everyone at the football club. We absolutely love him and, of course, everyone will want him to stay.”
Comparisons have already been drawn with last summer’s saga involving Alexander Isak, who pushed to leave Newcastle for Liverpool. But Howe stressed there is “nothing to say Bruno won’t be back training with us.”
Guimaraes, who joined Newcastle in 2022 and is under contract until 2028, has been on holiday following Brazil’s last-16 World Cup exit to Norway. He is due to return to the club on Friday and fly out with the squad for a pre-season training camp in Spain.
Meanwhile, Newcastle have moved to reinforce their midfield after Tonali’s departure, signing 18-year-old Sean Steur from Ajax for a fee worth up to £23m and Aladji Bamba from Monaco. Steur played the full 90 minutes against Gateshead and impressed his new manager.
“He played really well today,” Howe said. “He can be really pleased with his performance and first showing in Newcastle colours.”
But the question of whether Steur and Bamba will be supporting Guimaraes or replacing him remains unanswered – and Arsenal are pushing to resolve that soon.