David Ornstein: Arsenal agree fee with Newcastle over Bruno Guimarães signing

From an Arsenal fan perspective, this summer has been dominated by the club's pursuit of two Brazilians. Well, it would appear as though it is now one down, one to go.

As reported on Wednesday morning by David Ornstein and George Caulkin of the Athletic, Newcastle United "are set to sanction" the sale of Bruno Guimarães to Arsenal. The two clubs have agreed a £75 million fee, of which around £7 million will go to his former club Olympique Lyonnais. The Gunners' opening offer was £60 million, while the Magpies were holding out for closer to £90 million, but the pair have seemingly met in the middle.

Guimarães will fly to London either today or tomorrow, he is currently with the Newcastle squad at a training camp in La Manga, ahead of a medical and then making the move official. The 28 year old will join compatriots Gabriel, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli in North London, becoming the 16th Brazilian to make a senior appearance for Arsenal. Let's all hope a 17th is on his way soon....

Where does Bruno Guimarães rank among Arsenal's most-expensive signings?

It is inarguable that Bruno Guimarães will improve this team. He is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, and has been for some time now, and it is easy to understand why Mikel Arteta wants to bring him in. The Brazilian can be deployed in both deeper midfield rolls, likely to be regularly used alongside Declan Rice, but also in place of Rice too, who simply cannot be run into the ground as he was by club and country last season. With Christian Nørgaard heading to Everton, the Gunners have clearly got stronger in this department.

However, the £75 million fee is an enormous one for a player who is 28 years old, and will celebrate his 29th birthday during the November international break. In the history of the Premier League, he will become the most-expensive player signed aged 28 or over, breaking the current record set by his national team midfield partner Casemiro, who joined Manchester United for £60 million.

Guimarães will also become the second-most expensive signing in Arsenal's history, for now at least.

Arsenal's most-expensive signings:

Declan Rice: Summer 2023. From West Ham United - £105 million.

Bruno Guimarães: Summer 2026. From Newcastle United - £75 million.

Nicolas Pépé: Summer 2019. From LOSC Lille - £72 million.

Eberechi Eze: Summer 2025. From Crystal Palace - £67.5 million.

Kai Havertz: Summer 2023. From Chelsea - £65 million.

Viktor Gyökeres: Summer 2025. From Sporting CP - £63.5 million.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: Winter 2018. From Borussia Dortmund - £56 million.

Martín Zubimendi: Summer 2025. From Real Sociedad - £56 million.

Most players on that list, with the exception of Nicolas Pépé, have been a success at Arsenal, certainly those of the Mikel Arteta-era, and there is little to suggest Guimarães won't be too.

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