Arsenal know that agreeing personal terms with Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes would not be an issue, but persuading their Premier League rivals to green light a sale remains a difficult task.

The Magpies have already seen two key first team stars quit St James’ Park this summer with Anthony Gordon joining Barcelona and Sandro Tonali making his way to Tottenham Hotspur.

Eddie Howe faces a battle to hold onto top talent on Tyneside and losing midfield metronome Guimaraes would be another blow for the Magpies boss.

Newcastle United have, so far, fought to keep Guimaraes at the club for the 2026/27 campaign, rejecting an initial £70 million bid from Arsenal. However, the Gunners do not consider the transfer saga to be over.

Arsenal Ready to Pay £77m for Bruno Guimaraes

Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo report that Arsenal are ready to pay up to £77m to sign Guimaraes. Before that, a bid worth £70m is expected to be sent to St James’ Park in the ‘coming hours’.

The Gunners begin their season with the Community Shield clash against Manchester City on August 16 and appear keen to push through a deal for Guimaraes before then.

The report adds that, should Newcastle United reject the €82m bid, the London outfit are willing to increase their offer to €90m. However, that is the maximum fee that Arsenal would be willing to pay.

Arsenal are determined to improve their squad as Arteta looks to defend the Premier League title, but an unwillingness to be held for ransom has already proved costly.

Arsenal stubborn on player valuations

The BBC claims that the Gunners held serious interest in Aston Villa star and England international Morgan Rogers, but refused to offer more than £80million. The winger eventually joined London rivals Chelsea for a lofty £117million.

Newcastle United paid £45million to sign Guimaraes from Lyon in January 2022. He has gone on to make 195 appearances for the club.

Despite having another two years left on his deal at St James’ Park, the midfielder is believed to be keen to follow Tonali and Gordon out the door after the team’s underwhelming 2025/26 season.

Guimaraes has not yet returned for pre-season with the Magpies, having been granted holiday following his World Cup exploits. Howe was asked about the ‘world-class’ player’s future on Saturday, following a pre-season friendly against Gateshead.

He said: “I’ve had some really good conversations with him before the World Cup, during the World Cup and after the World Cup. What we speak about has to remain private, but he’s just a great player, a great person.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen with Bruno’s future. That’s for other people to speculate about. They are conversations that I’m not part of.”

Celtic are working on a deal to sign a second forward after Kasper Hogh as the Dane closes in on a move to Parkhead, according to a new update from Sky Sports.

After a slow start to the summer transfer window, Celtic chiefs have sprung into action and are currently working to make multiple signings for Martin O’Neill.

Colombian striker Camilo Duran is the only confirmed arrival so far after completing a move from Qarabag, but the Hoops are stepping up their efforts to bring in more players to a squad which underperformed and underwhelmed last term.

Additions look to be needed all across the pitch, but there appears to be a particular focus on bringing in more attackers alongside Duran in the coming days and weeks.

There is another spot in the squad in the forward areas after Daizen Maeda completed a move to Premier League side Ipswich Town on Saturday, while Kelechi Iheanacho turned down a contract offer to remain at Celtic Park, choosing to join Turkish side Bursaspor instead.

Celtic are closing in on a club-record £11m deal to sign Bodo/Glimt striker Hogh, who landed in Glasgow on Sunday evening ready to complete his big-money move to lead the line for O’Neill’s side next term.

The Denmark international won’t be the final signing in attack, if the club and O’Neill have their way.

Sky Sports: Celtic Working on Haissem Hassan Deal

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Blake Dahlin

According to Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph, posting on X on Sunday evening, Celtic are also working on a deal to sign Real Oviedo winger Haissem Hassan, alongside their move for Hogh.

Some reports earlier on Sunday had suggested that the Hoops were closing in on an agreement with the Spanish side to bring the Egypt international to Scotland, but Joseph says that there is no club-to-club agreement yet.

Nevertheless, Celtic continue to work on a deal for the talented 24-year-old, who they want to add to their attack having been impressed by his performances for his country at the 2026 World Cup.

Celtic In Talks Over Two More Transfers

Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers

Celtic are working on more deals simultaneously too, with one of those being SC Paderborn midfielder Mika Baur.

The Bhoys had looked to be closing in on the signature of the German midfielder, but they are struggling to find an agreement with the German club over an acceptable fee for the 22-year-old, having seen a £4m bid rejected.

The Hoops are also in talks over a deal to bring James Penrice back to Scotland from AEK Athens, with the full-back seen as the ideal cover for Kieran Tierney.

The former Hearts star is said to be keen on a move back to Scotland and is ready to join Celtic to play Champions League football next term, even as a back-up player.

Anthony Joshua just about kept his showdown with Tyson Fury on the table after knocking out Kristian Prenga on Saturday night, recovering from a disastrous first round to score the victory. His promoter, Eddie Hearn, has admitted that he thought the Brit’s career was about to come to an end in Saudi Arabia.

Joshua was returning to the ring for the first time since the tragic car crash in Nigeria that claimed the lives of two of his closest friends in late December. Having been in the vehicle at the time of the incident, many wondered whether seven months was sufficient for the Watford man to deal with everything he had been through.

The 36-year-old insisted he was ready to return to action when he arrived in Jeddah for his bout against the unheralded Albanian heavyweight.

Anthony Joshua Knocked Down Twice By Kristian Prenga

However, within just 20 seconds, Prenga caught an unstable Joshua with a perfectly timed right uppercut that sent the former two-time unified champion to the canvas, looking all over the place.

Already on unsteady legs, Joshua touched the mat again and was faced with the count for a second time. He did, though, manage to make it through to the end of the round.

Credit: REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

Curiously, Prenga came out as a different fighter in the second session, looking reluctant to go for the finish and secure the biggest win of his career. Instead, it was Joshua who began teeing off before delivering the shot that dropped his man almost out of the ring for his 30th win as a professional.

The millions watching around the world were stunned at what they had just witnessed, specifically how mediocre the former world champion looked against an opponent he was expected to beat easily.

Eddie Hearn spoke to iFLTV in the aftermath of the contest when he admitted that he had noticed something that really bothered him even before Joshua stepped through the ropes.

Eddie Hearn Reveals Why He Was Worried About Anthony Joshua

The Essex-based promoter held nothing back as he revealed exactly what he was thinking during the first round.

“What was going through my mind, honestly, and I thought this week was, ‘Have we come back too early?'”

Explaining the worrying behaviour that he’d seen from Joshua before the bout, Hearn said:

“I could tell in the changing room. He [Joshua] started looking down.” AJ’s refusal to lift his gaze continued even when he made his way into the ring.

Having represented Joshua for his entire professional career, Hearn quickly realised that this body language was out of character for his man.

The veteran promoter conceded that he felt the fight may have come too soon for Joshua after the tragic events of December.

“You start thinking: ‘Have we made a mistake here? I know boxing helped him through the grief, but was he even ready to return? That’s what I was thinking. I was also thinking, ‘It’s over.'”

Joshua’s dramatic comeback win essentially saved his career and keeps his long-awaited clash with Fury on track. However, the victorious fighter would be able to afford such a slow start against The Gypsy King if he wants to win the fight.