Back in January, Arsenal missed out on the signing of Bruno Guimarães as Newcastle sealed a £40m deal for the Brazil international.
The 24-year-old even announced his move to Newcastle with a video displaying a number of stories which claimed Arsenal wanted to sign him.
Now, there could be another problem on the horizon for Arsenal after missing out on Guimarães.
What’s the story?
Well, according to Calciomercato, Arsenal are planning a summer move for Lucas Paqueta, who played alongside Guimarães at Lyon.
The Italian news outlet believe Paris Saint-Germain are also keen on the Lyon maestro.
It comes after le10sport claimed that Newcastle submitted a £34m bid for Paqueta ahead of the January transfer window, an offer which was rejected.
Now, this is where the potential issue lies.
Bruno Guimarães could lure Lucas Paqueta away from Arsenal
During their time at Lyon, Guimarães and Paqueta struck up a close friendship.
The Newcastle playmaker clearly had a huge impact on his fellow Brazilian’s development in France, judging by the message Paqueta sent him after he moved to the Premier League.
As quoted by Get French Football News, Paqueta wrote: “I think without your friendship, I wouldn’t be where I am today! I will miss you so much, on and off the pitch! You deserve everything you’ve been through! You will always be in my heart!”
Having failed with a bid in January, you would assume that Newcastle will make another move for the South American in the summer.
If that happens, we can certainly envisage Paqueta turning Arsenal down in favour of a reunion with Guimarães, given the strength of their relationship.
Only time will tell, but we believe Arsenal are about to suffer from the consequences of allowing Guimarães to join Newcastle.
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