Arsenal have opened talks with their French counterparts, Lyon, to secure the services of Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, according to reports.

The Gunners desperately need a central midfielder and have been linked to various names across the continent. Yves Bissouma, Ruben Neves, and Denis Zakaria are just a few names in a list that is believed to be of considerable length. But, the Bruno Guimaraes links have stirred up the excitement of the fan base the most.

The 23-year-old midfielder has been exceptional for Lyon since making his move from the Brazilian side Athletico Paranaense in January 2020. He made 37 appearances for the Les Gones last season, scoring three goals and assisting two.

Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing Lyon star Bruno Guimaraes pic.twitter.com/ilXdPRD1rh

— The Sun Football ⚽ (@TheSunFootball) July 30, 2021

Arsenal also attempted in 2020 to sign the Brazillian but failed. The Gunners were very close to signing the player but they refused to pay Athletico Paranaense’s asking price. Moreover, the player had already agreed to a deal to move to Lyon and kept his word.

It appears like the young midfielder has overtaken other names in Arsenal’s wishlist. As the club have reached a dead end with the pursuit of their number one target Manuel Locatelli, Guimaraes now seems to be the alternative and this has got Arsenal supporters visibly excited on Twitter.

If Edu pull this off.. With AM, Bellerin replacement. All is forgiven. 😂

— 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐨 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐨 (@Abdulherphyz) July 29, 2021

Bruno Guimarães to Arsenal.

Are we all in agreement he would be a brilliant signing? I suspect this fanbase finally might agree on something!

— now.arsenal (@now_arsenaI) July 29, 2021

According to reports from Goal Brazil (via The Metro), Arsenal are looking to sign Olympique Lyon midfielder Bruno Guimaraes. He is currently in Tokyo with the Brazilian Olympic football team. Given the financial condition of the French club, they are willing to let go of their star player if the right offer comes in.

Locatelli, who won the European Championship with Italy, has been of interest to Arsenal since 2016 when he was a youngster coming through the ranks at AC Milan. Nevertheless, the Italian’s preference has always been to join Juventus, the club he grew up supporting. Thus, it is natural that Arsenal are looking at alternatives.

It will be exciting to see what happens in the central midfield area this summer, especially considering the fact that the club are now surprisingly looking to extend the deal of Granit Xhaka. The Swiss international was the subject of strong interest from Jose Mourinho’s Roma, but the sides failed to reach an agreement on the final transfer fee regarding the player.

𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 | #Arsenal are preparing to offer Granit Xhaka a new contract this summer after Roma failed to make a suitable bid for the midfielder | @amylawrence71 #AFChttps://t.co/YTJXF4PRWm

— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) July 30, 2021

With two years left on his current deal, if the North London side fail to find a suitor for Xhaka, he will have only a year left on his deal at the Emirates come the summer of 2022. At that time, his market value will decrease to a great extent.

That kind of a situation Arsenal would be desperate to avoid, given their previous record and handing him new terms certainly appears more rational from that point of view. However, the majority of Arsenal fans would jump on the Bruno Guimaraes cart rather than on Xhaka’s.

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Even though the Swiss player has shown great responsibility at times, he has been ponderous during the rest. He has displayed his excellence but also has cost his team multiple times. Naturally, the Arsenal faithful were hoping to see a fresh face in that department.

Nonetheless, a new midfield face seems to be imminent, even if Xhaka signs a new contract at the Emirates. Xhaka’s contract extension news is a testament to how the transfer market works. Dead quiet at one moment, earsplitting at another.

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