Newcastle United sporting director Ross Wilson has revealed that the club never planned to sell Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal this summer, but the Brazilian international's desire to leave ultimately forced a £75 million transfer.
Arsenal's £75m bid accepted after weeks of negotiations
The Gunners agreed a fee with Newcastle earlier this week following protracted talks for the 28-year-old midfielder. Arsenal's initial £55m offer was communicated through intermediaries, a move that frustrated Newcastle officials who preferred direct dialogue.
Wilson, speaking to The Telegraph, confirmed that Guimaraes had formally requested a move away from St James' Park, a pivotal factor in the club's eventual acceptance of Arsenal's bid.
Wilson: 'We didn't want to sell Bruno'
“We didn’t want to sell Bruno,” Wilson said. “It wasn’t in the plan. He’s our captain, he was very important to us and the debate over his price… it’s a world-record fee for a midfielder of his age.”
The £75m transfer represents a significant profit on the £40m Newcastle paid Lyon in 2022, and it sets a new benchmark for a midfielder of Guimaraes' age bracket.
Player's request changed the club's stance
Wilson elaborated on the emotional context surrounding the decision: “What we had to weigh up was, very respectfully from Bruno with his behaviour towards us, very emotionally, he effectively told us he wanted to leave. That doesn’t mean he can go, but it plays a part in our thinking when we hit a certain number.”
He added: “But there’s no point saying it was part of our strategy and in our thinking this summer – it wasn’t. But we have to be flexible and react to things that happen. It might have been in our plan to sign one player, but we didn’t get him so we move on to another. We can only be honest about that.”
Impact on Newcastle's squad and transfer plans
The departure of Guimaraes, who captained the Magpies and was integral to their midfield, leaves a significant void. Wilson acknowledged the disappointment: “We’d love Bruno to be in our squad this summer but I’m sure there are other clubs that have lost players that wish they were in their squads.”
He concluded: “It’s the world we live in, we had to adapt, we had to react. Having such an important player leave is disappointing but having a really important player who doesn’t want to play here – he’s honest about that – it was the only decision we could make.”
Newcastle are now expected to reinvest the funds in reinforcements, with several targets already linked to the club. Meanwhile, Arsenal bolster their midfield options ahead of the new Premier League season, with Guimaraes expected to make his debut in the coming weeks.
