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Arsenal explore moves for Newcastle’s Guimaraes & TonaliImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Newcastle United signed Bruno Guimaraes from Lyon in 2022 and Sandro Tonali from AC Milan in 2023BySami MokbelSenior football correspondent and Ciaran KellyNewcastle United reporter
Arsenal have held exploratory talks over potential moves for Newcastle pair Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali.
The Gunners want to add a new central midfielder to their squad this summer and are assessing numerous options, with Guimaraes and Tonali among the players the club have actively explored.
As things stand, it is understood Arsenal only want one leading central midfielder, and Bournemouth’s Alex Scott and Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi are other options being considered.
Discussions with Guimaraes’ camp have taken place to discover the conditions of a potential deal for the 28-year-old, while there have been similar talks with Tonali’s representatives.
It is understood Newcastle have not yet had an approach from Arsenal.
The club has already turned down a bid of around £80m from Tottenham Hotspur for Tonali and do not want to lose Guimaraes, the team’s captain and talisman.
Guimaraes, who has two years left on his contract, has been focused on his efforts with Brazil at the World Cup, where his side will face Japan in the last 32.
As BBC Sport previously revealed, Newcastle are in a strong position to command a greater fee closer to £100m for Tonali as Manchester City also monitor developments.
The Italian international is effectively contracted until 2030 after he signed a new contract during his 10-month betting ban to repay the faith the club showed in him.
The current transfer market might also work in Newcastle’s favour, if a bidding war ensues, given the valuations of midfielders elsewhere.
Manchester City have agreed a deal with Nottingham Forest to sign England’s Elliot Anderson for a club record £116m, while West Ham want up to £80m for Mateus Fernandes, 21.
With Guimaraes turning 29 in November and Tonali having turned 26 in May, the age of both players is likely to emerge as a key factor in how much Arsenal would be willing to pay.
But sources have indicated the Gunners have also expressed a firm interest in 22-year-old Scott, who currently has interest from Manchester United and Chelsea.
The merits of swoops for Morocco international Bouaddi and West Ham’s Fernandes, who is also a key target for Tottenham, have also been assessed internally.
Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta is renowned for working on numerous deals simultaneously before making a final decision on which one to execute.
The arrival of another central midfielder will lead to the sale of a current player in the same position, with Denmark’s Christian Norgaard, 32, someone the club will listen to offers for.
It could also bring into question Martin Zubimendi’s role as a regular starter in Mikel Arteta’s starting XI next season.
The window has not long been open, but some of the Premier League’s highest-earning clubs have their eyes on Newcastle’s best players.
Tottenham Hotspur have already made an unsuccessful opening offer for Tonali, while Arsenal hold an interest in the Italian as well as fellow midfielder Guimaraes.
Tonali is a key player at Newcastle, but it is hard to overstate Guimaraes’ importance – the Brazilian really is this team’s heartbeat.
Last season was a bruising domestic campaign, one in which Newcastle finished a disappointing 12th in the Premier League, but Guimaraes tellingly still emerged with some credit as the club’s player of the year.
The midfielder repeatedly popped up with openers, equalisers and winners in his best ever goalscoring season (9).
Newcastle, understandably, don’t want to lose him.
They had to become better sellers, but simply cannot afford for Guimaraes, Tonali, Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak to depart in the space of just a year.
What sort of message would that send?
After missing out on Spain international forward Victor Munoz, who opted to join Liverpool, Newcastle need a breakthrough of their own in the transfer market.
They have to signal some form of ambition again – not least to the players they currently have.
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