Arsenal to launch £70m Guimaraes bid - but transfer for Newcastle star hangs in balance

Arsenal are poised to table a £70million bid for Bruno Guimaraes - but will not overpay for the midfielder if Newcastle try to resist a sale.

The Gunners are in the market for quality additions to bolster the squad that won the Premier League and reached the Champions League final last season. And a move for Guimaraes, who boasts extensive top-flight pedigree, appeals in their search for an elite midfielder.

Guimaraes, 28, is known to be keen on the move, which would give him a realistic opportunity to win major trophies.

Newcastle, though, have no appetite to cash in on their talismanic captain — and it remains to be seen if a financial package in the region of £70m would realistically be enough for them to soften that stance.

BBC Sport report that Arsenal are ready to launch an official bid of that amount after stepping up their interest in Guimaraes. However, it's noted that they will not stray from their valuation of the Brazilian.

Whether or not they would consider bidding higher for a player who turns 29 later this year remains to be seen. And if that is the case, then they could opt to move on to other targets.

That stance saw them miss out on a deal for Morgan Rogers, a long-term target who was viewed as the ceiling-raiser signing Arsenal were looking for in their search for a new left-sided attacker.

The Gunners valued Rogers at £80m; a figure far lower than Aston Villa's valuation of the England star. That gulf in valuations opened the door for Chelsea to swoop in with a £117m offer. Arsenal declined to match it, with Rogers going on to join one of their big domestic rivals.

Rogers' former Aston Villa team-mate, Ezri Konsa, is another player Arsenal are courting with the new Premier League season now just weeks away.