Football journalist Luke Edwards has hit back after former Newcastle United co-owner Mehrdad Ghodoussi dismissed his report as ‘utter nonsense’.

Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimarães has been strongly linked with a potential transfer to Premier League champions Arsenal. Edwards reported that the London club were reconsidering their interest after being ‘initially led to believe’ the Brazilian midfielder would be available for around £50 million.

In his report for The Telegraph, Edwards wrote, “Arsenal became interested in signing Newcastle’s captain only when they were told, through intermediaries, that he could be prised away from their Premier League rivals for a bargain price. That is not the case and the deal remains deadlocked.”

The ensuing online exchange stemmed from Edwards’ claim that Arsenal’s expectations were shaped by intermediaries who “claim to have had a conversation with Amanda Staveley, Newcastle’s former co-owner, who said they would be open to offers of that size if they failed to qualify for the Champions League.”

Edwards acknowledged that since Staveley is no longer a co-owner and there is no release clause in Guimarães’ current contract, there has been no indication from Newcastle’s present ownership that such a discounted deal was ever possible. Nonetheless, the report triggered a heated debate on social media.

Ghodoussi responded publicly to Edwards’ post, calling it “Utter nonsense.” Edwards, however, stood by his report, replying, “Which part Mehrdad? The £50m fee? I agree. I’m only reporting what has been claimed from their side.”

Staveley, who is married to Ghodoussi and shared ownership of Newcastle until the summer of 2024, played a pivotal role in the club’s 2021 takeover by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).

According to Edwards, Newcastle’s weakened position in the transfer market stems from their failure to qualify for European competition. Just a year after clinching Champions League football and their first major silverware in decades, the Magpies ended the 2025–26 Premier League season in 12th place.

Edwards added that Guimarães’ representatives believed this failure could lead to a reduced transfer fee, prompting Arsenal to re-evaluate their stance.

Posting again on X, Edwards wrote, “I don’t want to do this publicly but I will if I have to. I spoke to Amanda this morning and she has acknowledged the story is not utter nonsense. They deny having ever promised Bruno he could leave. That denial is included in the article, but it does not change the fact that Bruno’s representatives have claimed this conversation took place.”

Newcastle have been active early in the transfer window, securing substantial fees from the sales of Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali. However, they now face the challenge of entering another season without several key players from the previous campaign.

The club also appear to have missed out on Switzerland midfielder Johan Manzambi, as well as Victor Munoz from Osasuna, who joined Liverpool in a last-minute deal. Meanwhile, 20-year-old talent from Freiburg, initially expected to join Newcastle, is reportedly close to signing for Aston Villa instead.