ARSENAL will face stiff competition from Lyon and Atletico Madrid in the race to sign Bruno Guimaraes from Athletico Paranaense, according to reports.
The Gunners are interested in signing the midfield enforcer, but it won’t be easy.
Ligue 1 side Lyon are leading the race for the Brazilian, with the French side in advanced negotiations for his signature.
Diego Simeone’s side, meanwhile, were thought to have cooled their interest, instead choosing to prioritise a move for Edinson Cavani from Paris Saint-Germain.
Despite Guimaraes, 22, being a totally different player to Cavani, Atletico have found themselves only in a position to recruit one of them, as splashing out on both would lead to Financial Fair Play sanctions.
But with their move for PSG’s 32-year-old Uruguayan having stalled, and with Chelsea and Spurs said to also be keen on Cavani, Globo Esporte claim that Atletico could renew their interest in the Brazilian midfielder instead.
This would come as bad news for the Gunners, who are said to be keen on the Under-23 international.
Athletico Paranaense are looking for around 25million for their star asset.
Arsenal are prioritising signing a defender with their limited budget, but a midfielder could also be on their agenda.
Particularly with the news that Dani Ceballos may be pining for his loan spell at the Emirates to be cut short.
And while Granit Xhaka is back onside under Mikel Arteta, his future could also be assessed by both parties at the end of the season.
Guimaraes has made 62 league appearances in the Brazilian top flight for Paranaense.
As well as this, he was part of the team that won the Copa Sudamerica in 2018.
He is very highly-thought of in Brazil and has been touted as a future international for the Selecao, having been included in the league’s “Team of the Year” last season.
