LONDON: Arsenal have signed Newcastle United captain ‌Bruno Guimaraes on a four-year contract with a further one-year option, the Premier League champions announced on Saturday.

The North London club have agreed a deal reported by British media to be worth around 75 million pounds ($101.16 million) for the Brazil international, adding one of the Premier League’s most influential midfielders to Mikel Arteta’s squad.

“Since the first time I spoke to (Arsenal Sporting Director Andrea) Berta and Mikel, I was excited. I just felt inside of me that I need a new challenge in my life and I think to be an Arsenal player is going to be an exciting challenge in my life,” Guimaraes said in a statement on the club’s website.

“I am so excited to start. We have tough games ‌to play ‌this season, so the squad is going to be very, very ‌important ⁠and I’m hopeful ⁠we can achieve our dreams.”

The midfielder joined Newcastle from Olympique Lyonnais in January 2022 and quickly established himself as one of the league’s standout performers, playing a central role in the north-east club’s rise over the past three seasons.