Bruno Guimaraes’ move from Newcastle United to Arsenal raises the usual question that follows a new signing: which shirt number will he take? For most players, it is a practical choice. For some, it carries real weight. For Guimaraes, there appears to be only one option.

Back in 2023, the Brazilian midfielder explained to The Players’ Tribune why No. 39 means so much to him. “The number tells a story more beautiful than words can say,” he said. “I know people think it’s a weird number for a footballer. But for me 39 is special—no, it’s more than that. It’s magical. The No. 39 gave me everything in life. … It fed me, clothed me and paid for three-hour bus rides to pursue my dream.”

The reason is deeply personal. As Guimarães revealed, #039 was the dispatch number for his father’s taxi cab in Rio de Janeiro. His father’s work shaped the midfielder’s childhood, with long days spent driving through the city and rare moments of release reserved for watching his son play on Saturday.

Guimarães’ path to the top was not simple. At one stage, he was so unsure of his future that he obtained a driver’s license in case he followed the family trade. His turning point came with a loan move to Athletico Paranaense in 2017, when his father called and urged him toward the same number. “What about 39? That is more than a number. 039 gave us everything we have, Bruno. Our house, our food, our furniture, your football boots. It was all because of our taxi.”

He was already due to wear 39 when he arrived, and the number was handed to him by chance. He and his father both broke down in tears.

Since then, he has carried those digits at Lyon and Newcastle, and even tattooed them on his right calf. Arsenal do not currently have anyone wearing the shirt, which clears the way for Guimarães to continue with the number that has followed him throughout his career.

There is history there too. Francis Coquelin wore No. 39 on his Premier League debut, while Héctor Bellerín also spent time with it during his Arsenal career. More recently, academy midfielder Harrison Dudziak briefly held the number before being released over the summer.

Arsenal are close to finalising a move for Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimarães, with the Brazil midfielder expected to become the second most expensive signing in the club’s history if the reported deal is completed.

Multiple reports say Newcastle are prepared to approve his departure for a fee of $101 million (£75 million), after the two clubs reportedly found a “compromise.” At 28, Guimarães would leave St James’ Park after a summer in which Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon also departed at significant expense, a run of exits that reportedly led Eddie Howe to tender his resignation as manager.

For Arsenal, the scale of the move would underline how sharply their spending has risen under Mikel Arteta. A club that once sought a manager “who will not spend big money on transfers.” has long since embraced a different approach.

If the transfer goes through at the quoted figure, Guimarães would sit behind only Declan Rice in Arsenal’s list of record buys. Most of the club’s biggest fees have been committed during Arteta’s time in charge, and four of the 10 most expensive arrivals in Arsenal history came in last summer alone, when Martín Zubimendi, Eberechi Eze, Viktor Gyökeres and Noni Madueke arrived for a combined total of more than $300 million.

The proposed move would also place Guimarães above Nicolas Pépé, whose $92 million transfer from Lille in 2019 remains one of the most costly and one that ultimately ended Unai Emery’s spell.

The fee, though substantial, is still below the temporary $135 million release clause inserted into Guimarães’s new five-year contract in October 2023. Newcastle had bought him from Lyon for around $58 million in 2022, but Arsenal appear to have struck a lower figure than that clause.

When viewed against this summer’s market, the move would not even top the scale of other major deals. It would be the fifth most expensive transfer in that wider group, behind the reported sums involved in moves for Mateus Fernandes, Elliot Anderson and Morgan Rogers.

Arteta summed up the reality of elite spending last summer when he said: “The budget is like when you have your wedding,” and added: “you plan your wedding with your wife and you give her a budget and it’s never less, it’s always more.”

Arsenal’s reported interest in Vinícius Júnior has emerged as one of the summer’s most ambitious transfer storylines, but the scale of the challenge remains clear. The Gunners are understood to be monitoring whether a move for the Real Madrid winger could become possible, even if the Spanish club still hold the upper hand.

Vinícius is still only 26 and remains one of the most destructive wide players in world football. He has already won the 2024 FIFA The Best Men’s Player Award and finished second in that year’s Ballon d’Or behind Manchester City’s Rodri. For Arsenal, his profile makes obvious sense, with the Brazilian seen as a player who could elevate Mikel Arteta’s attacking options immediately.

Yet the current reality is that Real Madrid are still in control. Vinícius returned to the club’s training base on Monday for his standard medical checks after his holiday following the 2026 World Cup. Jose Mourinho confirmed he was due back on Monday, and the winger has already completed his first training session ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.

That return is expected to trigger a fresh round of contract talks, after 18 months in which agreement on a new deal has proved elusive. The biggest issue remains Vinícius’s push to become the first player in club history to receive a renewal bonus. Reports have suggested he may be willing to soften that stance, but there is still a significant gap to bridge.

Florentino Pérez has long been regarded as one of Vinícius’s strongest supporters, but he has also shown he will not bend easily in negotiations. The wider message is simple: Vinícius, Mourinho and Pérez all want him to stay, but each appears to want it on their own terms.

Unless a compromise is found soon, Real Madrid could even weigh up a sale this summer rather than risk losing him for nothing a year later. Arsenal, for now, are waiting. They are reportedly prepared to make him one of the club’s highest earners, and Andrea Berta has already held talks with his camp, according to The Athletic.