"It's very clear..." - Ben Jacobs delivers major Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal transfer update | OneFootball

It’s very clear that Bruno Guimaraes wants to join Arsenal and club-to-club talks are expected to formally begin soon, according to Ben Jacobs.

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jacobs explained that Guimaraes is not likely to force a move like Alexander Isak did when Liverpool came calling last summer, but it’s still very much the case that he would also like to leave Newcastle.

The Brazil international has clearly communicated that to his club, with Arsenal now seemingly prepared to step up negotiations, even if the two teams still seem quite far apart in terms of the player’s valuation.

According to Jacobs in the video below, Arsenal would be willing to pay around £65m for Guimaraes, whereas Newcastle would insist on more like £80-90m to let him go…

“Arsenal are expected to formally open talks with Newcastle for Bruno Guimaraes,” Jacobs said.

He added: “Arsenal have made it clear they’re prepared to go up to £65m. Newcastle’s valuation – if they change their not for sale stance – is more like £80m-£90m.”

Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal Transfer Fit rating

Guimaraes looks like a really good fit for Arsenal, with the 28-year-old proving his quality in the Premier League, and giving Mikel Arteta something a bit different, as well as more depth, in the middle of the park.

See below for how we scored Guimaraes with our Transfer Fit rating system (read more about this here), with the former Lyon man earning a 16/25…

That’s a very decent score, the higher end of medium, but the player’s age and high transfer fee mean it’s not a deal entirely without risk.

Guimaraes will surely strengthen Arsenal in an important position for the next two or three years, but after that he could quite quickly decline.

If there’s a younger option out there, AFC would do well to consider him, but it’s not an easy market, with arguably inferior players like Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali both moving for astronomical fees this summer.