Arsenal's Pursuit of Bruno Guimaraes and Backup Plan for Alex Scott

Arsenal’s midfield plan is clear. The route to it is anything but.

Mikel Arteta wants Bruno Guimaraes. Arsenal have pushed, prodded and circled, and they are about to go again. A formal £70 million bid is being prepared for Newcastle United’s captain, a step up from the two earlier, unofficial offers of £55m and £65m that were swiftly dismissed.

Newcastle’s response? As blunt as it gets.

From St James’ Park, the message has been consistent. The club have no intention of selling Guimaraes and, even if that position softened, they value the Brazilian in the £90m–£100m range. Fabrizio Romano has indicated the new offer will be rejected. Lee Ryder of The Chronicle has echoed the same. Inside the club, sources told TEAMtalk the looming Arsenal bid is “not welcome, not wanted and will not be accepted.”

Arsenal know all this and are still coming. That tells you how central Guimaraes is to Arteta’s vision of his next midfield.

The Gunners already have one significant advantage: personal terms with Guimaraes are understood to be agreed. The player is on board. The problem is Newcastle are not, and they are under no pressure to blink.

So Arsenal need a Plan B. And they have one.

Scott lined up as the alternative

If Newcastle hold their line, Arsenal intend to pivot towards Bournemouth’s Alex Scott. According to CaughtOffside, the decision at the Emirates has already been made: if Guimaraes cannot be prised away, Scott is the man they will chase.

He is not a consolation prize in the building, more a designated understudy. Guimaraes remains the headline act, but Scott, at 22, has been installed as the primary back-up target.

This is not a new admiration. Arsenal have already tested Bournemouth’s resolve once this summer and were knocked back. Scott has since refused to sign a new contract, a move that usually signals the start of a transfer tug-of-war. Bournemouth have treated it as a challenge.

They are adamant he will not be sold, not now, not on the eve of their first ever European campaign. That historic step has hardened their stance. They want Scott at the heart of it, not cash in the bank.

Clubs are still queuing up to ask the question.

Earlier this week, Ben Jacobs revealed Chelsea had gone big and failed, seeing a £64m bid rejected. It was a serious offer for a player still carving his name into the Premier League, and Bournemouth simply pushed it away.

Chelsea’s pursuit came with its own sub-plot. Jacobs reported that another midfielder arriving at Stamford Bridge would not automatically mean Enzo Fernandez is sold, though a departure could be considered if their £120m valuation is met. For now, that is background noise to Arsenal’s situation, but it shows the kind of financial territory Scott is moving into.

No easy deals, only expensive ones

Arsenal’s midfield rebuild has reached the stage where every option costs elite money. Guimaraes will not leave for anything close to £70m if Newcastle eventually open the door. Scott will not leave for £64m if Bournemouth are to be convinced.

So the equation is brutal in its simplicity. If Arsenal fail to land Guimaraes and turn to Scott, they already know the starting point. Any bid that changes Bournemouth’s mind will have to sail well past Chelsea’s rejected offer.

Arteta wants his midfield refreshed, sharpened, upgraded for another tilt at major honours. The club have identified their men. Now they must decide how far they are willing to go – and how much they are prepared to pay – to make one of them walk through the door.