Bruno Guimarães is increasingly being linked with a move to Arsenal, and the signs point in one direction even if nothing has been completed. He is thought to be keen on the switch to North London, while his absence from Newcastle’s squad for its preseason training camp in Spain has only intensified the expectation that a transfer could be close.

If Arsenal do get the deal over the line, Mikel Arteta would be adding a midfielder with a rare range of qualities. Guimarães can operate as a holding player, step into a creative role or drive the team forward as a box-to-box presence, giving the manager a level of flexibility few players offer.

One option would be to keep the 4-2-3-1 shape Arsenal used across much of their 2025-26 Premier League title-winning season. That system usually featured Declan Rice and Martín Zubimendi as the double pivot, with a No. 10 in front of them, wingers on either side and a lone striker leading the line. In that scenario, Rice would almost certainly keep his place, which would leave Zubimendi as the likeliest player to step aside, even after a strong first season at the Emirates.

The logic is clear enough. Guimarães spent large parts of last season in a midfield two alongside Sandro Tonali, but was still able to move higher, join attacks and make late runs into the box. That freedom helped him finish with nine Premier League goals and six assists. The complication is that Rice also likes to advance, while Arteta may be reluctant to reduce Zubimendi’s influence after how valuable he became.

A second route may be more realistic: removing the No. 10 role altogether. Arsenal would still have width from Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka, while Noni Madueke and new signing Christos Tzolis provide further options. That would put Martin Ødegaard’s place under pressure. It would be a major call to leave out the captain, but his attacking return has dipped over the last two seasons. Last year, he managed just one goal and seven assists in 24 appearances, and often struggled to supply the decisive creative touch associated with him.

Newcastle’s managerial change has left open a small window to persuade Bruno Guimarães to stay, with incoming boss Matthias Jaissle expected to speak with the club captain at training camp next week.

For the moment, Guimarães is still a Newcastle player, but the situation remains delicate amid talk that Arsenal are monitoring him. The Chronicle reports that he has not travelled with the rest of the squad to the training camp in Spain. While the other players flew out on Friday without departed manager Eddie Howe, Guimarães is scheduled to arrive on Sunday.

Newcastle had given him flexibility after the World Cup, and that appears to be the route he has chosen. Rather than flying back to England after spending time in South America and then joining the group, he opted to head directly from South America to Spain two days later.

That means the first meaningful conversation with Jaissle is likely to come once he is with the squad. The German coach has been appointed to succeed Howe at St James’ Park after the former manager formally departed on Friday.

Howe’s exit came after earlier reports that his resignation was imminent. In his farewell, he described his spell in charge as the “privilege of my lifetime.” He added that he had put his “life, heart and soul into the club” over five years and now intends to step away from management for a break.

Guimarães was closely tied to Howe during that period. In an Instagram farewell, he called his former manager the “king of this club” and thanked him for “making me a better player.”

Jaissle arrives with a strong record of his own. According to Sky Sports, Newcastle will pay $12.8 million (£9.5 million) in compensation to release him from his contract with Saudi Pro League side Al Ahli. He leaves after guiding them to back-to-back AFC Champions League Elite titles in 2024-25 and 2025-26.

Arsenal are said to be moving closer to a deal for Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimarães, with reports suggesting the total package could rise to £80 million ($107.5 million). BBC Sport say the Gunners are “increasingly confident” of landing the player this summer and are preparing to improve their offer in the hope of settling matters quickly.

Guimarães has long been understood to favour a move in a red shirt next season, and that preference may have strengthened after Eddie Howe reportedly stepped down from his role at Newcastle. The news emerged on Thursday, less than a day after Newcastle’s 4-1 preseason friendly defeat to Championship side Bristol City. Reports also claimed Howe was unhappy with the club’s summer window, during which Anthony Gordon moved to Barcelona and Sandro Tonali joined Tottenham Hotspur.

Those departures followed Alexander Isak’s switch to Liverpool one summer earlier, leaving Guimarães as the latest major name linked with the exit door at St James’ Park. BBC Sport stressed, however, that the midfielder’s proposed move to Arsenal is not tied to Howe’s departure, with the groundwork already in place before the manager decided to leave.

Even so, the picture at Newcastle has changed again with the expected arrival of new manager Matthias Jaissle. After a 12th-place finish in the Premier League last season, uncertainty around the club remains significant, which only adds to the sense that Guimarães could be ready for a change.

Arsenal, by contrast, have been measured in their summer business. Piero Hincapié arrived permanently from Bayer Leverkusen, Illan Meslier joined on a free transfer, and Christos Tzolis signed from Club Brugge for £34 million ($45.4 million). The club also declined to match Aston Villa’s demands for Morgan Rogers and later cooled their interest in Julián Alvarez.

Their first bid for Guimarães stood at £55 million ($74 million), while Newcastle are reported to value him at about £93 million ($124 million).