Arsenal have completed the signing of Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle for a fee reported to be in the region of £75million.
The Brazil midfielder has signed a four-year deal at the Emirates with the option for a further 12 months and ends a protracted saga with Newcastle eventually admitting defeat in their bid to keep their captain.
Guimaraes joined Newcastle in January 2022 for a fee in the region of £42m and made 153 Premier League appearances, scoring 30 goals and adding 26 assists. His former club Lyon are due 20 per cent of the profit Newcastle will make on the player.
Guimaraes posts emotional message to Newcastle after leaving for Arsenal
His exit is another blow to Newcastle who have lost fellow key players Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali this summer. Gordon went to Barcelona while Tonali opted to join Tottenham for combined fees in the region of £170m.
But losing Guimaraes will cut particularly deep for Newcastle fans.
He said: “This is one of the toughest decisions of my life. When I arrived, the club was in a challenging position and I am incredibly proud of what we achieved together.
“I fell in love with this place. I really mean that. From my first day, the supporters, my teammates, Eddie [Howe] and the staff, and everyone connected with the club made me and my family feel at home.
“I thank PIF, our chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan and Jamie Reuben for everything they have done for me and for this football club.
“I also want to say thank you to David [Hopkinson] and Ross [Wilson] for the huge respect to me throughout this process. They did everything they could to keep me at Newcastle, and I am very grateful for our time together.
“This move is very tough because Newcastle means so much to me, but I wanted to experience something new in my life. I feel ready for a new challenge for myself and my family.
“I had a very positive conversation with [new coach] Matthias Jaissle, and I leave knowing the club is in very good hands.
“To the supporters, thank you will never be enough, but I say it with all my heart. I will always be proud to have been part of this club’s journey. Thank you for everything.”
more to follow
