Fabrizio Romano says Bruno Guimarães to Arsenal has reached the final stage, with the move now at the point where he is waiting for the final call to travel for his medical and sign his contract. The reporting around the deal is consistent on the key points: a £75 million fee with Newcastle, personal terms in place since July, and permission for Guimarães to undergo the Arsenal medical.

Romano's latest update

Romano told caughtoffside.com: "Agreement in place with Newcastle after long talks and personal terms in place with Bruno since July. Fee worth £75m. New midfielder for Mikel Arteta."

He also told football365.com that Guimarães and the people around him are "simply waiting for Arsenal and Newcastle to make the final call so he can travel for his medical and sign his contract." Ben Jacobs added that Guimarães had been "given permission to undergo his Arsenal medical" and that a "£75m agreement in principle" was now in place.

That still leaves the final sign-off before the move can be treated as done. But the shape of it is already clear enough: Arsenal are adding an established Premier League midfielder, not gambling on a longer-term project.

Why Arsenal are making the move

The fee fits a club that finished 1st in the 2025 Premier League with 85 points and won all 5 of their most recent league matches. They also went 8 from 8 in the 2025 Champions League group sample, which is a strong backdrop for paying up for an immediate starter rather than waiting for one to develop.

Newcastle's position also tells its own story. They finished 12th with 49 points in the 2025 Premier League season, and have already been linked with replacement planning, including João Palhinha. Palhinha is one of the names being considered, and Bayern München sporting director Max Eberl said of him and others: "We have three players we are open to letting go. They have no future at Bayern. If they want to stay with us, it will be tough because we are not planning with them. Then they won't play a role. That's the case with Sacha Boey, Joao Palhinha and Bryan Zaragoza."

For Arsenal, the deal looks like a clear attempt to strengthen from a position of strength. For Newcastle, the planning has already moved into replacement mode. The next step is the medical and contract signing, once both clubs give the final call.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 6 outlets. How we work →