Sport nationArsenal can finally replace Granit Xhaka after transfer delay with £32m ‘agreement’
The Gunners have missed Granit Xhaka’s presence in midfield this season but the summer transfer window could present an opportunity to fix that
Arsenal have an opportunity to replace Granit Xhaka with Bruno Guimaraes
Arsenal sold Granit Xhaka to Bayer Leverkusen last summer for £21.4million and decided against replacing him with a like-for-like replacement.
Kai Havertz, naturally a false 9 forward, was instead signed from Chelsea for a deal worth £65million. The German international has already made 29 appearances for the Gunners and the majority of them have come in Mikel Arteta’s midfield.
The ‘experiment’, which sees Havertz fluidly join the attacking line to leave Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice as the two ‘deep-minded’ midfielders, has seen mixed results. Attacking-wise, Arsenal are certainly more dangerous but at the other end, there has been concerns that they lack the robustness that Xhaka brought.
Many have called for sporting director Edu Gaspar to consider bringing in another central midfielder with a profile similar to Xhaka. The January transfer window has been focused on a centre-forward meaning next summer is the next likeliest opportunity to do so.
And the north Londoners could have reason to re-energise their interest in Newcastle United’s Bruno Guimaraes. The Brazilian was on the Gunners’ radar prior to his move to Tyneside in 2022 but a change in the Magpies’ financial situation could see him become available.
Newcastle announced a loss of £73.4million this month after announcing their latest financial results. The loss has left a real concern that one of their star players could be sold to ease concerns over Financial Fair Play (FFP) and Guimaraes is one of their most-prized assets.
READ MORE: Arsenal £43m problem preventing 10-year wait for Karim Benzema transfer
READ MORE: Arsenal given Alexander Isak transfer incentive following title message from Manchester City
A report from AS has indicated that the 26-year-old “agreed” to a release clause in his contract worth €115million (£98m), which is reportedly payable in three instalments of €38million (£32m). The same article adds that the former Lyon man is one of the players the Newcastle board have selected to help them “settle accounts”.
Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and Chelsea are all “expected to attack” at the end of the season. Arsenal haven’t been linked, yet, but a move for the Brazil international makes sense.
Newcastle’s financial situation means they could be unable to demand a monumental fee while the Gunners will also land a player with Premier League experience. It’s a strategy implemented often by Arsenal with Gabriel Jesus, David Raya, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Declan Rice all signed from their league rivals.
Sport nation
