Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimaraes has left Newcastle United to sign for Arsenal, despite the St James's Park club's reluctance to sell. The transfer is worth £75 million, with the player signing a four-year contract with the Gunners.
Brazilian international midfielder Bruno Guimaraes is Arsenal's new signing. The 28-year-old has moved from Newcastle United to the London club in a £75 million transfer, signing a four-year contract with an option to extend for a further year.
The news was confirmed on Saturday by transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano, with official confirmations from both clubs quickly following. Guimaraes did not hide his delight once the transfer was finalized.
"I feel incredible. I'm happy about the opportunity. From the first conversation with Andrea Berta and Mikel Arteta, I was excited. I felt within myself that I needed a new challenge in life, and I think being an Arsenal player will be an exciting challenge," Guimaraes told Sky Sports.
The Brazilian also addressed his new fans in a special way. "I'm so excited to join you. I'll give you everything I've got, I promise. I'm your warrior, I'll never give up. I hope we create many, many beautiful memories together," Guimaraes said.
His departure from Newcastle was deeply emotional. "This is one of the hardest decisions of my life. When I arrived, the club was in a challenging position, and I'm incredibly proud of what we achieved together," said Guimaraes, who joined Newcastle in January 2022 from French side Lyon for £40 million.
"I fell in love with this place. I truly mean that. From day one, the fans, my teammates, Eddie (Howe), and the staff, and everyone associated with the club made my family and me feel at home," he added.
Newcastle's sporting director, Ross Wilson, was clear that the club had no intention of selling their captain and best player. "We didn't want to sell Bruno. It wasn't in the plan to sell Bruno. None of us-nor the owner-wanted to sell Bruno," Wilson stated during pre-season preparations in Spain, as reported by Večernji list.
Ultimately, the player's desire for a new challenge proved decisive. "What we had to assess is that Bruno, with great respect and his conduct towards us, but also very emotionally, effectively told us he wanted to leave and move on," Wilson explained, adding that the fee achieved was a "world record for a player of his age."
Arsenal's sporting director, Andrea Berta, did not hide his satisfaction with the new signing. "We are delighted to welcome Bruno Guimaraes to our club. Bruno is a player with an excellent mentality and great quality, who will bring strong leadership to our team," Berta told Sky Sports.
Berta highlighted the new player's versatility. "Bruno can play as a defensive midfielder and as a 'box-to-box' player. He combines quality with quantity, and has delivered goals and assists for his team every year. Bruno will enable Mikel to further develop our style of play and will increase internal competition, which is key to maintaining standards as we aim to win major trophies," he concluded.
Guimaraes' departure is just the latest chapter in a turbulent summer for Newcastle. Before him, the club had already lost Anthony Gordon (to Barcelona for £69.3 million), Sandro Tonali (to Tottenham for £100 million), and manager Eddie Howe. In total, the Magpies have sold players this summer for over £240 million.
Guimaraes leaves a lasting legacy at Newcastle, having played 195 matches in all competitions and scored 31 goals. The club's official statement highlights that the agreed fee represents one of the ten largest transfers ever for a player aged 28 or older, and a record amount for a player of his age and position.
