Arsenal complete Bruno Guimaraes signing as Newcastle captain arrives

The Premier League champions have reportedly paid 75 million pounds for the Brazil international, who had told Newcastle he wanted to leave and join Arsenal after several weeks of negotiations.

Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta said Guimaraes would bring quality, leadership and versatility to Mikel Arteta's squad.

"Bruno is a player with a great mentality and great quality, who will bring strong leadership to our squad," Berta said.

"With Bruno joining us, we are further strengthening the heart of our team. As we have all seen, Bruno can play as a defensive midfielder and as a box-to-box player.

"He combines quality with quantity, and has provided goals and assists for his team every year."

Berta added that Guimaraes would give Arteta another option as Arsenal look to compete for major trophies.

"Bruno will allow Mikel to further develop our playing style and will also increase our internal competitiveness, which is essential for maintaining the standards required when we are aiming to win major trophies," he said.

The 28-year-old becomes Arsenal's third signing of the summer, following the arrivals of free agent Illan Meslier and Christos Tzolis from Brugge.

Guimaraes joined Newcastle from Lyon in January 2022 and quickly became one of the most important players at St James' Park. He made 195 appearances in all competitions, scoring 31 goals.

The Brazilian played a key role in Newcastle's first trophy in 56 years when they beat Liverpool in the 2025 Carabao Cup final. He also helped the club qualify for the Champions League twice as they established themselves among the Premier League's leading sides.

Guimaraes produced his best goalscoring campaign in 2025/26, scoring nine goals in 29 Premier League appearances. He then impressed for Brazil at the 2026 World Cup, providing four assists before their last-16 defeat by Norway.

Despite his success at Newcastle, Guimaraes admitted leaving the club was one of the hardest decisions of his career.

"This is one of the toughest decisions of my life," he said. "When I arrived, the club was in a challenging position and I am incredibly proud of what we achieved together.

"I fell in love with this place. I really mean that. From my first day, the supporters, my teammates, Eddie and the staff, and everyone connected with the club made me and my family feel at home."

Guimaraes said he felt the time was right to take on a new challenge.

"This move is very tough because Newcastle means so much to me, but I wanted to experience something new in my life," he said. "I feel ready for a new challenge for myself and my family."

He also thanked new Newcastle manager Matthias Jaissle and the club's supporters before completing his departure.

"I had a very positive conversation with Matthias Jaissle, and I leave knowing the club is in very good hands," Guimaraes said.

"To the supporters, thank you will never be enough, but I say it with all my heart. I will always be proud to have been part of this club's journey. Thank you for everything."

Guimaraes now joins Arsenal as Newcastle continue a major rebuild. Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon have also left the club, while Eddie Howe resigned as manager and was replaced by Jaissle.

Newcastle have responded with several signings of their own, bringing in Ewen Jaouen from Reims, Bazoumana Toure from Hoffenheim, Sean Steur from Ajax, Aladji Bamba from Monaco and Lukas Hornicek from Braga.

Arsenal will next face Borussia Dortmund in a pre-season friendly at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, with Guimaraes set to begin life at his new club.