Arsenal reportedly pursuing £38k-a-week ace who plays like Cazorla, fans should be buzzing - TBR View

By Giuseppe Labellarte

Arsenal are reportedly in talks to sign Bruno Guimaraes this summer.

Goal.com has claimed that the Gunners have made contact with Lyon over the talented Brazilian.

Arsenal director Edu is a long-time admirer of Guimaraes, having reportedly sought to sign him in January 2020.

It is believed that Lyon are ready to cash in on the midfielder given their tricky financial position.

And if the report is true, Arsenal fans should be buzzing, because Guimaraes is a top player.

Arsenal target Bruno Guimaraes – the story so far

Born in Rio de Janeiro on 16 November 1997, Guimaraes came through the ranks at Osasco-based Audax.

He made his debut for the Sao Paulo club in April 2015, aged just 17.

Guimaraes came on as a late substitute in a 2-1 Campeonato Paulista away win against Bragantino.

He then joined Atletico Paranaense on loan in May 2017 and then signed permanently the following March.

Guimaraes clocked up 84 competitive appearances for Paranaense before joining Lyon for a reported £18million in January 2020.

To date, he has made 46 appearances for the Ligue 1 outfit.

In addition, Guimaraes has won one senior cap for Brazil, and is currently at the Tokyo Olympics representing his country.

How much could Arsenal have to pay for Bruno Guimaraes?

FC Inter News claimed in February this year that Lyon could want around 30m euro (around £26million) for Guimaraes.

Meanwhile, his Transfermarkt value – updated in June this year – stands at £27million.

Guimaraes’ contract is reportedly worth £38,000-a-week and runs until the summer of 2024.

Bruno Guimaraes style of play and inspirations

In June, Breaking the Lines wrote: “Tactically speaking, Guimaraes is seen as a mixture of both a deep-lying playmaker and box-to-box midfielder.

“He can play from a deeper position and constantly seeks to play quick forward passes, especially accurate long-balls, which he does by noticing where his teammates and opponents are before receiving the ball.”

Meanwhile, football.london wrote last year: “His ability to be so versatile comes down to his all-round impressive skillset which sees him boast good decision making, strong stamina, an ability to read the game and to play a range of passes.”

And the Ligue 1 website quotes Guimaraes as saying: “I am a fan of players like Ronaldinho Gaucho and Zinedine Zidane, I used to like watching them play.

At the moment I like Ilkay Gundogan at Manchester City, but since I was little I have been inspired by Andres Iniesta.”

What have fans said about Bruno Guimaraes?

Football fans have compared Guimaraes to the likes of Santi Cazorla, Ruben Neves, Lucas Silva and Koke.