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.

Real Madrid winger Vinícius Júnior is understood to be open to an Arsenal move this summer, but the priority remains a new contract at the Bernabéu. He is even willing to trim his demands in an effort to help negotiations reach an agreement.

The key obstacle is not salary alone. Instead, the sticking point is Vinícius’s request for a renewal bonus, which Madrid do not hand out to any player. His aim is to secure a package that matches the terms given to Kylian Mbappé, whose wage is in the same bracket but who also received a substantial signing-on fee after arriving from Paris Saint-Germain.

The Athletic reports that Vinícius is ready to ease his position in talks with Madrid. He has made clear in public, repeatedly, that he wants to stay at the Bernabéu and is prepared to lower his demands in the hope of getting a deal done.

If no agreement can be reached, Arsenal are expected to move. It is also said that Vinícius would not be opposed to a switch to the Premier League champions.

Arsenal have already approved a proposal that would go beyond their current wage structure, according to the report. The view at the Emirates is that Vinícius is the kind of elite signing capable of lifting the squad to another level.

A package could also include a signing-on bonus and image rights. AS claim Madrid hold 50% of Vinícius’s image rights, a detail that effectively helps fund his own salary in Spain given his standing in the game.

If Arsenal were to offer a larger share of image rights, alongside a major salary and a signing-on bonus, their proposal could be stronger than anything Madrid can put forward. Even so, the central issue is whether Vinícius truly wants to accept it.

The Brazil international remains focused on staying at Madrid, where Florentino Pérez is said to be his biggest supporter. Both sides want an extension, but Madrid have been notably firm in similar situations before.

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.