LONDON, Aug 5 — Arsenal have reportedly agreed a £75 million (RM4212 million) fee with Newcastle to sign captain Bruno Guimaraes.

The Brazil midfielder’s future has been the subject of fevered speculation for weeks since it emerged he wanted to leave Tyneside for the Emirates Stadium.

Guimaraes, 28, who joined Newcastle from Lyon in 2022, scored nine goals and provided eight assists in all competitions for the Magpies last season.

After a break following Brazil’s World Cup campaign, he linked up with Newcastle on the club’s pre-season training camp in Spain.

Eddie Howe, who quit as Newcastle manager last week, had admitted he was concerned about losing Guimaraes.

Premier League champions Arsenal have been relatively quiet in the market compared with Tottenham, Manchester City and Chelsea as the new season approaches.

Manager Mikel Arteta has not spoken publicly about his interest in Guimaraes, but said the club were “very active” and “very ambitious in what we want to do”.

“We need to increase the competition internally. We need to make sure we identify the things that we don’t have in the team,” he said.

Arsenal open their title defence against Coventry at the Emirates on August 21. — AFP