Bryan Robson has urged Manchester United to rival Arsenal for a deal for Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes. The former United captain believes the Brazilian would be the ideal replacement for Casemiro at Old Trafford.
Arsenal's initial bid rejected
Arsenal made a verbal offer of £45m for Guimaraes earlier in July, but Newcastle immediately rebuffed the approach. The Gunners are weighing up whether to return with an improved bid after reports that Guimaraes has informed Newcastle of his desire to leave and is keen on a move to the Emirates Stadium.
Guimaraes has been one of the Premier League's most influential midfielders since his £40m move from Lyon in 2022, helping Newcastle qualify for the Champions League and win the Carabao Cup.
United's midfield situation
Manchester United have already signed two midfielders this summer: Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa. But manager Michael Carrick wants at least one more addition following Casemiro's departure and a serious injury to Manuel Ugarte at the World Cup.
Arsenal initially believed a fee of around £60m would be enough, but recent reports suggest Newcastle could demand up to £100m given the current transfer market climate.
Robson's endorsement
“Bruno Guimaraes would be the right player for Manchester United to replace Casemiro,” Robson told Hajper. “I've always liked him as a captain. He's got a great attitude. He must be a good lad to have around the place. He's carried himself really well at Newcastle.”
Robson highlighted Guimaraes' intelligence and versatility: “You've got to be careful how many players you send forward but the way Bruno Fernandes gets on the ball, Bruno Guimaraes can do the work that Casemiro has done at United because he's such an intelligent player.”
He added: “Casemiro got a little bit of stick for not being able to get about the park enough but he was clever too, scored goals with his head and could defend well when he was in the right position, and he was great at passing it forward through to Bruno. Bruno Guimaraes can do all that for you too. He's a midfield player who can do a little bit of both, in attacking and in defence, and he's got a very good engine.”
However, Robson questioned whether Newcastle would sell: “The only question mark is whether he'd be available now this summer. I'd be very surprised if Newcastle sold him in the same summer as Sandro Tonali leaving the club. I'm not sure they'd allow it.”
Yorke's contrasting view
Ex-Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke offered a different opinion, telling BoyleSports: “I don't know about Bruno Guimaraes. I'm not sure he has been that impressive. I watched him play for Brazil at the World Cup and he's not convinced me. I think he's good. He's shown that at Newcastle United. He's got a good work ethic. I understand the value of that. But is that what you're paying for when you sign a player to come to Manchester United? A good work ethic?”
Yorke added: “Listen, he's a solid player and maybe he's good enough to get into a team at the level Manchester United should be at but is going to take them to another level? Will Bruno Guimaraes put United any closer to the Premier League title? If so, he's a good signing. But he doesn't excite me.”
He concluded: “I'm not seeing him picking up a ball and boom, sending over one of those diagonal passes or cutting defenders apart with one ball. I just don't see that quality from him. That's why his performances for Brazil worried me. He was just another solid player in that team. They're all solid players.”
