Mikel Arteta has put Arsenal’s summer business back in the open. He says the club want a “better squad”, expect more movement before the window closes and are aiming to take the team “to a different dimension”, with Bruno Guimarães the biggest name being linked to that push.

Arteta's transfer message

Arteta did not sound like a manager trying to close the door on further deals. “A lot is happening,” he told teamtalk.com, adding that Arsenal want “to take this club to a different level” and that the club have identified areas to “grow” and “improve”. He also said he hoped things could soon be put “in a very concrete way”.

The club had already signalled movement elsewhere too. On Arsenal’s official site previewing Girona, two new signings, Illan Meslier and Christos Tzolis, were said to have joined the pre-season group.

The Guimaraes deal talk

The Newcastle midfielder sits at the centre of the most serious link. BBC Sport reported Arsenal would need to improve their £70m bid for Guimarães and that the deal could reach £80m. The same report said Newcastle were adamant that formal club-to-club talks had not taken place.

That is why the fee talk matters more than the noise around it. Guimarães has 31 goals in 195 appearances for Newcastle since arriving from Lyon in 2022, which is a strong return for a central midfielder and part of the reason Arsenal are being pushed into a serious number. At 28, he is being targeted in his prime.

Eddie Howe was quoted saying, “He's a brilliant player, but more importantly, he's a fantastic person. He's our captain. Everyone at the football club loves him, and of course we hope he stays. We've had some really good conversations. His commitment has never been in doubt.” That is a public stay-message, even if the market is still circling.

Arteta’s language makes this feel like more than background transfer chatter. Arsenal are not talking about one extra body for depth, they are talking about standards, the size of the squad and a leap in level. The Guimaraes links fit that ambition neatly, but BBC Sport’s reporting also leaves the move in the rumour stage, not the done-deal stage.

The next step is simple enough: Arsenal keep talking up change, and the price conversation around Guimarães keeps rising. If a formal bid lands, the number being discussed is already in the £70m to £80m range.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 5 outlets. How we work →