Arsenal have been handed a major boost in their pursuit of Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, according to journalist Luke Edwards.
The Gunners have tabled multiple bids for Guimaraes over the last month, but these offers have consistently been met with stern rejection. The Magpies are eager to keep hold of their captain, placing a hefty £80 million asking price on the 28-year-old.
However, it's now believed that Arsenal might be nearing Newcastle's valuation, with a deal said to be closer than ever.
Avid Gunners supporters following every development in the saga have been given another reason to believe the move is on the verge of materialising, after Eddie Howe's departure from St. James' Park was announced on Thursday morning.
Arsenal Handed Transfer Boost in Bruno Guimaraes Pursuit
Eddie Howe
Howe's exit from Tyneside came out of the blue, in the midst of Newcastle's pre-season training schedule. Evidently, due to the timing of the resignation, the English manager hadn't planned to leave the north-east club this summer.
However, multiple reports suggest that Howe feels he's lost control over transfers and isn't pleased with how willing the Magpies' hierarchy has been to sell star players. Anthony Gordon departed for Barcelona earlier this summer, before Sandro Tonali was sold for £100 million to Tottenham Hotspur.
Newcastle correspondent Luke Edwards has indicated that the former Bournemouth boss believes Guimaraes will leave in the coming weeks, and that this was potentially the final straw.
Other sources report that Howe was informed his skipper will be allowed to join Arsenal, pushing the head coach to make the decision to walk out the door at St. James' Park.
Clearly, something prompted the 48-year-old to make this abrupt decision, and this only spells good news for Arsenal as the exodus on Tyneside continues.
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Arsenal Have Likely Bowed to Newcastle's Demands
Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes smiles as he walks into St James' Parkvia Reuters
While Newcastle may have eventually folded in the Guimaraes saga, prompting Howe's exit, the Magpies have held firm on their valuation.
Arsenal's initial offers for Guimaraes are said to have been worth in the region of £60 million, £20 million short of what Newcastle want. The most recent reports suggest the Gunners have gone up to £75 million, and this proposal is still believed to have been turned down.
If Guimaraes is indeed closing in on a switch to the Emirates, it's likely because Arsenal have bowed to their north-east counterparts' demands.
While this won't even be a consolation for Howe, it's at least an admirable effort from the Newcastle board to have not folded easily and to have squeezed such a significant sum out of the Gunners for a player entering the latter stages of his prime.