£100m target could sign after Guimaraes

Arsenal came into this summer with two clear goals; to strengthen the wide positions and to bolster their midfield.

Well, in the form of Bruno Guimaraes, they may well be edging ever closer to ticking off that second objective. On Wednesday night, it was revealed that the Newcastle United captain wanted to leave and join the Gunners.

Andrea Berta and Co have already held talks via intermediaries over a move and a deal could progress quickly now Guimaraes has made his feelings clear.

But, why do they want him? Well, Arsenal’s midfield needs something of a rejig.

Why Arsenal are planning to go big to sign a new midfielder

At one stage last season, Declan Rice described his partnership with Martin Zubimendi as “outstanding”.

“He is the Spain number six, and we know what Spanish number sixes are like. They are the best at first-phase build-up, turning on the ball and playing forward, playing into pockets, and that is exactly what we’ve got with him,” Rice commented.

Indeed, during the opening few months of the Spaniard’s time in north London, he looked totally at ease, completely unphased by the more physical Premier League. At £55m, he was a bargain signing from Real Sociedad.

However, by the end of the year, Zubimendi’s position in the team was being called into question. Myles Lewis-Skelly had leapfrogged him in the midfield pecking order. He was on the bench and didn’t even start the Champions League final.

It’s not that Mikel Arteta doesn’t rate him. There could be one simple explantion, that he was absolutely knackered. Only his midfield colleague in Rice played more minutes when compared to Arsenal’s outfield players in 2025/26.

So, that’s one reason for needing a new midfielder. Zubimendi needs more competition and he needs to be rotated more next term.

The other reason is that lack of depth. Mikel Merino will be back from injury but it is clear that Arteta does not trust Christian Norgaard. He looked like a brilliant stop-gap signing a year ago but that’s all he is.

The Dane, however much the players respect him and look up to his leadership, is not going to win you a Champions League. Someone like Guimaraes, however, would.

It’s why a midfield rejig of sorts is happening at the Emirates this summer.

How Arsenal can further strengthen in midfield

Guimaraes’ move to the Gunners is not a certainty but they are believed to be making good progress behind the scenes concerning a move. Personal terms are said to have been agreed and a £72m offer is on the way to tempt Newcastle to sell.

The general feeling, however, is that they will be looking for more, particularly after losing Sandro Tonali to Spurs for £100m.

Either way, Arsenal are going to have to pay a premium and the same can be said for Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers. He is the leading target for Arsenal this summer but he could cost anywhere between £100m to £130m according to Caught Offside.

They provide the latest on the club’s pursuit of the 23-year-old this week, revealing that an agreement in principle has actually been reached with Rogers on a five year contract.

With that sorted, all that’s left to do is agree a free with Villa. That, will be very challenging considering their stance. They do not want to sell.

There is a sense that Arsenal are signing Rogers to play on the left. With Leandro Trossard bound for Besiktas, signing a winger is a necessity and in the Villa man, they’d find a fabulous option. He has scored 14 goals in back to back seasons, delivering 12 assists in 2025/26 too.

Yet, as has been evident at Villa Park, the England international feels at home when playing as an attacking midfielder. As a result, if they could secure the signatures of both Guimaraes and Rogers, Arteta would be looking at the best midfield three in the Premier League. With Rice in tow, this honestly feels like a dreamy combination.

But, why would they all complement each other so well?

Compared to the aforementioned Zubimendi, Guimaraes is a lot punchier with his passes. Last season, the Brazilian produced 0.29 through balls per 90 to Zubimendi’s 0.06 while the former also made 4.77 progressive passes to the latter’s 2.22.

The fact is that Bruno is one of the best passers in the Premier League. He’s fantastic at playing through the lines and into the forward players. It’s why he’d love playing with Rogers ahead of him. He is one of the best players at receiving balls in the spaces between the lines before carrying the ball forward and producing a shot or assist.

By signing both of them, immediately Arsenal would become a more menacing team against the lower blocks they face on so many occasions.

Guimaraes has the progressive passing and Rogers has the running power and clever movement. Arsenal may well want the England man to play off the left but they would get a lot out of this move by playing him more centrally too.