Arsenal are ready to strengthen their midfield this summer to bolster their title-winning squad, and Mikel Arteta has personally identified a top target that he wants.
The Gunners claimed their first Premier League title in 22 years by finishing seven points above Man City, while they also reached the Champions League and Carabao Cup finals, where they suffered defeat to City and Paris Saint-Germain.
Now Arteta is ready to push his side forward to another level, and Newcastle United star Bruno Guimaraes has emerged as the man he wants at the Emirates Stadium above any other.
Romano: Arteta Pushing for Guimaraes Deal
Guimaraes, who has been described as ‘world-class’, has been heavily linked with a move away from the Magpies this summer, and is currently shining with Brazil at the World Cup, registering four assists to help them into the Last 16 of the tournament.
Arsenal have already had an initial bid worth around £55m rejected by Newcastle for the Brazilian star, and reports suggest that the north London club are preparing a new £60m move to try and tempt them into a sale.
But speaking in his latest YouTube video, reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed that it’s Arteta who is the driving force behind the deal, and he expects it to be very difficult to complete.
“Obviously, Newcastle sold Sandro Tonali, Newcastle sold Anthony Gordon, so now Newcastle don’t have any intention to let Bruno Guimarães go,” he said.
“At the same time, Arsenal had been rejected, £55m. Mikel Arteta is a big fan of the player, so what I can tell you, in addition to all of this, is that he really, really likes the player. Mikel Arteta was driving this interest for Bruno Guimaraes internally.
“It’s not the first time Arsenal go for him. Even in the past, they were considering the possibility to go for Bruno Guimaraes, [he has] always been a player appreciated by Arteta. But now with Newcastle, it’s not going to be an easy one at all, because Newcastle again made money with Gordon, made money with Tonali, and they already told Bruno Guimaraes, and they told people close to him that they want to keep the player, so it’s not going to be easy at all for Arsenal to get it done.”