Newcastle captain Guimaraes tells club he wants to join Arsenal

Bruno Guimaraes wants to leave Newcastle to join Arsenal; Gunners have made no contact with Newcastle over the availability of their captain but conditions of a deal have been explored via intermediaries; Newcastle have already lost Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon this summer

>By Keith Downie, Dharmesh Sheth & Kaveh Solhekol

>Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes has told the club he wants to join Arsenal, it has been confirmed to Sky Sports News.

>Newcastle are not making any comment on the situation, and Sky Sports News understands Arsenal have made no contact with them over the availability of the midfielder.

>However, it is understood the conditions of a deal for the 28-year-old have been explored via intermediaries.

>Guimaraes has two years left on his Newcastle contract, with a year's option to extend to the summer of 2029.

>Newcastle have no interest in selling the Brazil international.

>Their stance has been consistent all summer - they insist their captain is not for sale and they are not welcoming any bids.

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>Guimaraes, who joined Newcastle from Lyon for £35m in January 2022, has become one of the key players in the club's return to prominence after their Saudi-backed owners completed a takeover in October 2021.

>However, Newcastle have no desire to see their captain follow star forwards Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon, and fellow midfielder Sandro Tonali, out of the door.

>Guimaraes, who missed a penalty as Brazil went out of the World Cup against Norway in the last 16, has established himself as a huge crowd favourite and was the man who lifted the club's first domestic trophy in 70 years when he led them to Carabao Cup glory two seasons ago.

>Toon boss Eddie Howe will be desperate to retain one of his most important players and will not want a repeat of the saga which saw Isak force a £130m switch to Liverpool last summer after going on strike.

>The sales of Gordon to Barcelona (£69.3m) and Tonali to Tottenham (£100m) for a combined total of around £169.3m has significantly boosted Newcastle's ability to meet spending rules, but a further high-profile departure would spark another major rebuilding project.

>Howe's side suffered last season after their efforts to replace Isak hampered them throughout a disappointing domestic campaign which saw them eventually finish in 12th place in the Premier League table.

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