Abdulhafiz TeslimNewcastle United look set to confirm a £75million deal with Arsenal for captain Bruno Guimaraes after finally agreeing to end the long-running transfer saga.
Magpies chiefs are ready to shake hands with the Brazilian in what will be an amicable split after high-level talks between United and the Premier League champions put both sides on the brink of an agreement.
Bruno joined Newcastle’s training camp in La Manga on Monday and has spent time with team officials and incoming manager Matthias Jaissle. However, the club captain has continued to make it clear he wishes to pursue a move to North London and sign a bumper deal with Arsenal.
Newcastle’s stance has always been that they did not want to sell their captain. However, they also wanted players who were fully committed to the club. Bruno declined to discuss a new contract, making it clear that he wanted the move to Arsenal.
Newcastle are set to receive a guaranteed £75million for the Brazil international, who will turn 29 in November. The fee contains no add-ons or performance-related bonuses, with Chronicle Live understanding Arsenal have agreed to pay the full amount up front.
However, Lyon are due 20% of the profit Newcastle make on the sale under the sell-on clause agreed when Bruno joined the Magpies. Having signed him for around £35million and sold him for £75million, Newcastle will owe the French club £8million, leaving them with approximately £67million from the transfer.
The move will happen if Arsenal meet all of the demands put to them this week after initially lowballing the Magpies. United sources have made it clear that a medical was never scheduled on Monday and that only in the last 24 hours has the deal moved towards a positive conclusion.
Valued at around £60million by several market valuation models, Newcastle believe they have secured an excellent fee for the former Lyon midfielder, who joined the club four years ago.
The agreement also means Newcastle can move quickly to reinvest in Matthias Jaissle’s squad. A number of replacements have already been identified as the Magpies look to add experience and quality to fill the void left by their captain’s departure.
Newcastle also wanted to draw a line under Bruno’s future before Jaissle fully settled into the role after Eddie Howe spent 16 press conferences answering questions about Alexander Isak ahead of his painful £125million move to Liverpool. The club were determined to avoid another transfer saga dominating the summer.
Chronicle Live has learned the full details of Arsenal’s eventual willingness to come to the table this week. Before Monday, when their first formal offer was swiftly rejected, Arsenal had only communicated through intermediaries, much to the frustration of the Newcastle hierarchy.
It is understood that a series of verbal proposals were rejected, with Arsenal’s original valuation amounting to just £45million plus £10million in add-ons.
Since then, Newcastle have driven the price up by a further £30million despite there being no rival bidders, eventually securing a deal worth £75million.
While the final fee falls just short of the £80million Newcastle had initially hoped for, those inside St James’ Park concluded it represented the best value available in the current market and opted to conclude negotiations with Arsenal.
CEO David Hopkinson said earlier this year: “If an Isak-like scenario presents itself again, any player under contract is going to leave on our terms. We’re going to maximise the opportunity that might represent for the club.”
Guimaraes’ departure had not been anticipated at the start of the summer, unlike the expected sales of Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon, but Newcastle have now accepted that both the player and the club are ready to move on.
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Abdulhafiz Teslim
