Newcastle United and Arsenal have agreed a £75million deal for Bruno Guimaraes.
A long-winded transfer saga has resulted in the Brazilian angling for a St James’ Park exit since the World Cup. Guimaraes hired a “super agent” and, until now, Arsenal have been working via intermediaries to lay the foundations of a deal.
An opening bid was rejected earlier this week as the midfielder travelled to Newcastle’s pre-season training camp on Monday. Guimaraes never intended to go down the route that saw Alexander Isak desecrate his Toon legacy 12 months ago.
However, both clubs have now reached an agreement worth £75million. It is understood that there will be no add-ons and Arsenal are to pay the fee up front.
Guimaraes has been given permission to leave the La Manga camp and will travel to North London at some point today. He joins the likes of Isak, Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali as the latest high-profile departure at the Magpies.
After a conversation with incoming boss Matthias Jaissle, it became clear that Guimaraes’ heart lay elsewhere. The 28-year-old joined from Lyon in January 2022 as Newcastle’s first blue-chip signing.
The Ligue 1 club are set to bank around £7million once he competes the move. A clause allows Lyon to receive 20 per cent of any profit made on his initial £35million fee.
A four-and-a-half-year career on Tyneside saw Guimaraes lead the team to Carabao Cup glory. He has arguably been the face of the post-takeover era - adored by Newcastle fans - with two Champions League campaigns to boot.
Time will tell whether Guimaraes has lost the backing of Newcastle fans after securing a swift departure. The Magpies are set to face Arsenal at St James’ Park on November 21.