Newcastle United will replace Bruno Guimaraes with an experienced midfielder capable of “shouldering the burden” of losing their talisman to Arsenal in a deal that is expected to be worth around £75m.
The transfer is not yet agreed – and there is scope for the fee to go up, although not dramatically, in final negotiations – but all parties now expect Guimaraes to leave Newcastle’s La Manga training base and begin the formalities of his move in the next 24-48 hours.
What next is now the question for Newcastle. They are understood to have already lined up Guimaraes’ replacement – with extensive work done over the last few days as the move to Arsenal progressed – and are hopeful of a breakthrough soon to mitigate the loss of another one of their leading players.
Sources have played down links to some of the names that have emerged in recent days, raising the possibility that another mystery deal is close to completion. They have extensively scouted Borussia Dortmund and Germany midfielder Felix Nmecha but that possibility has been played down – even if the new arrival is likely to be based overseas.
So far most of Newcastle’s business has been for players around the age of 20 with “high ceilings” and while a priority has been to lower the wage bill this summer, there is now scope to bring in a more high-profile player to aid Matthias Jaissle’s rebuild. He is still likely to be in the 18-25 age bracket, though.
