Above all, the Gunners have mainly been pushing to sign Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad – although an agreement is yet to be reached with the Basque outfit.
Additionally, Arsenal also showed interest in Merino’s Real Sociedad teammate Martin Zubimendi – although the Spain international opted to stay in San Sebastien.
Now – in a new development – one of Arsenal‘s midfield targets is unlikely to leave after being made captain…
Bruno Guimaraes made captain of Newcastle amid Arsenal links
Eddie Howe has now decided to hand Bruno Guimaraes the captain’s armband at Newcastle.
The £40m midfielder has taken over the responsibility from Kieran Tripper – who was team captain, while the lesser used Jamaal Lascelles is official club captain.
As a result of this development, the Daily Mail claim the Brazil international is now almost certain to stay at Newcastle.
It comes after Team News and Ticks revealed that Arsenal were considering a late move to sign Guimaraes – it was even suggested that Edu Gaspar was delaying a concrete move for Merino in case the South American did express a desire to leave Newcastle in the final days of the transfer window.
Issues with Mikel Merino’s move to the Emirates Stadium
With just over a week remaining of the transfer window, Merino seems the most likely midfielder to join Arsenal.
Fabrizio Romano has already revealed that Arsenal have agreed personal terms with Merino and the Spaniard wants to link up with Mikel Arteta in north London, although Real Sociedad are standing firm.
Spanish news outlet COPE state that Arsenal have seen a £30m bid rejected by Real Sociedad in the latest round of negotiations – with the Basque side demanding £34m.
Be sure to keep an eye on developments at Arsenal, as it would now be a major surprise if Merino does not join the Gunners after such lengthy discussions.
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