Arsenal eye move to hijack £33m deal for South American after rival bid is accepted | OneFootball

Arsenal are still eyeing a late move to sign Bruno Guimaraes but will have to act fast after Newcastle United tabled a £33m bid for the Lyon midfielder, according to various reports.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is desperate to strengthen his squad before the end of the month to help boost Arsenal’s chances of finishing in the European qualification places this season.

A new central midfielder is a priority as Arsenal have been left badly exposed in that area of the pitch so Arteta needs to bring in another option to support Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka and Albert Sambi Lokonga.

The north Londoners have been strongly linked with a move for Arthur Melo in recent weeks but a proposed loan deal seems to have broken down with Juventus not able to secure a replacement for the former Barcelona man.

It looks like Arsenal could now renew their interest in Guimaraes with Sky Sports News reporter Kaveh Solhekol claiming the Gunners have still not given up hope of signing the South American midfielder this month.

Guimaraes was widely touted as Arsenal’s main midfield target earlier in the month but the Londoners reportedly turned their attention to Arthur because they felt it would be too difficult to agree a deal with Lyon.

However, it appears Arsenal could now launch a late move to try and land Guimaraes during the closing stages of the window as Arteta desperately tries to strengthen his options in the middle of the park.

The Brazilian international would be a superb signing for the Gunners if they could lure him to the Emirates Stadium this month as he’s developed into one of the best midfielders in French football since joining Lyon in 2020.

However, Arsenal will have to act fast if they want to sign Guimaraes as Fabrizio Romano is one of several sources claiming that Newcastle United have submitted a £33m [€40m] offer for the 24-year-old. Brazilian outlet Globo Esporte says Lyon have accepted the bid so it’s down to Guimaraes to decide whether he wants to move to St James’ Park.

Therefore, Arsenal are going to have to formalise their interest in the midfielder quickly and match Newcastle’s £33m offer or they risk missing out on another key transfer target.