Arsenal now holding talks to sign £100m “machine”

Had Arsenal lost against Manchester City in the race for Declan Rice in 2023, it’s fair to say that Mikel Arteta‘s side may not be celebrating their Premier League championship this summer.

But the Gunners did complete a £105m deal for the England international, who was recognised as an elite talent and has gone on to cement his status as “the best of the best“, according to statistician Statman Dave.

Now, Rice is a Premier League champion, one of the division’s standout stars across the 2024/25 campaign. It’s fair to say that that big-money outlay was worth the effort and expenditure, and now, Arteta may want to repeat the trick with Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes.

Arsenal in talks to sign several Premier League midfielders

Guimaraes, 28, is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, rubber-stamping his world-class reputation right now by producing scintillating performances for Brazil at the World Cup.

This week, Arsenal technical director Andrea Berta has seen a £60m offer knocked back for the Magpies skipper, proposed to the player’s representatives.

Arsenal have not yet made a formal approach, but the interest is very much there, having returned with improved conditions to ascertain whether a deal can be done. It will be tricky, though, and Berta and Arteta understand this, with an exciting alternative lined up.

As per BBC reporter Sami Mokbel, Arsenal are also in discussion with the representatives of Sandro Tonali, Guimaraes’ dance partner at St. James’ Park. Tonali, 26, could command a fee in the region of £100m, which aligns with Newcastle’s demands for their skipper.

Tottenham have already seen two bids rejected, coming in at about £80m, and while they appear to be in the driving seat for the Italian midfielder, it has been claimed that his preference would be to move to Arsenal, should Berta and co firm up their interest.

Why Tonali would be a better signing than Guimaraes for Arsenal

If Arsenal ended up with Guimaraes bolstering their midfield, it would hardly be a bad thing, but while he might not be quite so flashy, Tonali could actually end up being the better signing for the Londoners.

The Italy international has played a key role in transforming Newcastle under Eddie Howe, covering immense stretches of ground each game and intelligently threading the defensive and attacking thirds together. He is an orchestrator, and may combine seamlessly with Rice in the Arsenal centre.

Moreover, Tonali is nearly three years younger than Guimaraes, so while the Brazil superstar may have more stock, Arsenal would get much more from the 26-year-old, with both players priced in a similar ballpark.

Guimaraes is more advanced, and certainly more of a threat in the final third, but then that is not part of Tonali’s wheelhouse, and his patient and calculated approach to the midfield game might actually work in Arsenal’s favour, freeing up Rice and providing the security that an attacking midfielder such as Martin Odegaard or Eberechi Eze require to steal the headlines. Everyone has a different part to play in a football team, after all.

Tonali is more relaxed than Guimaraes in the centre of the field. Outwardly, he is less intense than his Brazilian partner. But do not be mistaken, his energy and ball-winning ability has been instrumental in establishing Newcastle as a title-winning and Champions League-competing outfit, and he has been hailed as “a pressing machine” on Tyneside by reporter Andy Sixsmith.

Power and pace and physicality are all fundamental parts of Tonali’s skillset. He might not have Guimaraes’s expansive playmaking ability, but the Italian maestro knows how to pass a football, and he does so with an elegance that could make a world of difference at Arsenal, combining with Rice, who created 17 big chances in the Premier League last term.

Arsenal are now recognised as one of the best teams in England. No longer are they the hunters, but instead, the hunted. To stay ahead of the chasing pack, signing someone like Tonali could assist them in defending their title – not just next season, but over a series of seasons.

Guimaraes is one of the best in the business, but he turns 30 in less than a year-and-a-half, and Tonali’s longevity could instead prove a shrewder and more prudent addition to an Arsenal side already firing on many cylinders.