Declan Rice sent a message to Bruno Guimaraes saying 'no more fights' ahead of his £75million transfer to Arsenal. Arsenal have finally got their man. A £75m deal agreed with Newcastle.
The Gunners confirmed the midfielder's move from Newcastle on Saturday. The Brazil international said the move was one of the "toughest decisions" of his life, but he wants to 'make history'.
The pair have been involved in feisty exchanges in previous meetings between the two sides, frequently squaring up to each other, though Guimaraes' arrival now means those battles will be a thing of the past, at least when it comes to facing off against one another.
Guimarães revealed that he has already received a message from Rice welcoming him to Arsenal that said “come here and please no more fights, now we’re friends”.
“Of course, Gilberto Silva. I love him as a player,” he said. “I had the opportunity before to talk to Gilberto Silva. I hope I can follow his history here and make myself one of the very good players at Arsenal in history.”
Bruno Guimarães has broken a very niche record. His £75m move to Arsenal is the most expensive transfer for a midfielder aged at least 28. The 28-year-old midfielder joins the Gunners for a fee understood to be £75m (€88m) and the contract includes a further one-year option. Guimaraes has officially become the Gunners' second most expensive signing of all time, with only Declan Rice's £105m move from West Ham ahead of him.
Reporting: Mirror, The Sun, Football.London, CaughtOffside, GiveMeSport, RTÉ, Daily Star, TeamTalk, Metro, The Guardian, Evening Standard, Daily Mail, BBC Sport, Sky Sports, talkSPORT, The Athletic, ESPN.