Newcastle continues to insist Bruno Guimaraes is not for sale, but reports in Brazil suggest the club is already identifying contingency plans if Arsenal eventually succeeds in landing its captain.
According to Brazilian outlet FogaoNET, Newcastle has emerged as the leading contender to sign Botafogo midfielder Danilo Santos should Guimaraes leave St. James’ Park.
“Currently, Newcastle appears to be the strongest English club in the race, viewing Danilo as a replacement should Bruno Guimaraes be sold
to Arsenal,” the report says.
The report adds that Premier League giants Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United have all made enquiries about the 25-year-old, while Zenit and Galatasaray have also contacted Botafogo.
“Botafogo continues to prioritize a sale to Europe, but will only agree to negotiate the player for a price it considers fair,” the report adds.
Danilo returned to Brazil last year after spending two seasons with Nottingham Forest, where he made 62 appearances across all competitions before joining Botafogo without causing much of an impact in the Premier League.
Since returning home, he has scored 11 goals and registered seven assists in 41 matches while earning a place in Brazil’s national team and making four substitute appearances at the 2026 World Cup.
Danilo can be considered a relentless and energetic box-to-box midfielder, and would arrive with Premier League experience, which fits Eddie Howe’s preferred player profile.
However, no established outlets have yet corroborated Newcastle’s supposed interest, and the volume of clubs linked with Danilo makes it difficult to verify if this is just a bunch of buzz about nothing and a ploy from Danilo’s native country to try and send him back to Europe.
