Arsenal have officially confirmed the signing of Bruno Guimarães from Newcastle United, with the Brazilian joining on a long-term contract announced on Arsenal.com.
The Premier League champions have been active in the transfer market this summer as manager Mikel Arteta looks to build on a historic title-winning campaign.
Arsenal claimed their first Premier League title in 22 years last season, ending a long wait that had tested the patience of supporters across north London.
Arteta is determined to defend that title while also going deeper in the Champions League, having suffered a painful penalty shoot-out defeat to Paris Saint-Germain back in May.
A new central midfielder was identified as a priority, with Arteta looking to ease the burden on both Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi, who both appeared to run out of steam towards the end of last season.
Guimarães quickly emerged as Arsenal’s prime target, and the 28-year-old made clear he wanted to join the reigning champions, triggering intense negotiations with Newcastle United.
A breakthrough was reached early last week, with Guimarães granted permission to leave Newcastle’s Spanish training camp to travel to London for his medical and contract discussions.
Those formalities have now been completed, with widely reported figures suggesting Arsenal paid Newcastle a fee of £75m for the Brazilian international.
Newcastle initially held out for more, but with Guimarães approaching his 29th birthday and having just one year remaining on his St James’ Park contract, the Magpies agreed to accept a lower figure.
Guimarães has been confirmed as the holder of the No.39 shirt number at his new club, and he has been pictured smiling in his new Arsenal kit following the completion of the deal.
The midfielder joined Newcastle from Lyon in 2022 and developed into one of the Premier League’s finest central midfielders during his time at St James’ Park.
He is expected to link up with his new teammates for pre-season training immediately and could be paraded in front of Arsenal fans ahead of Sunday’s Emirates Cup fixture against Borussia Dortmund.
Many observers believe Guimarães has the quality to form a formidable partnership with Declan Rice in the heart of Arsenal’s midfield as they pursue more silverware this season.