Guimaraes’ representatives have tried to pressure Newcastle into selling their most important player, even arguing they should allow a player in the peak years of his career to move to a club that is playing in the Champions League and will be competing for the Premier League title again next season. They claim their client has given everything to Newcastle, but the time is right for him to move on.
That view does not account for how important Guimaraes is to the club both as a player and a leader, as well as the fact Newcastle have already sold Alexander Isak, Tonali and Anthony Gordon in the last 12 months.
Although Guimaraes would like the move and has told Newcastle of his desire to explore a transfer to the Premier League champions, he understands and appreciates the club’s desire to keep him.
He will push for a departure only if Arsenal make a bid that gets close to Newcastle’s valuation. As things stand, he knows that is not the case and is scheduled to return to pre-season training at the end of this month.
It remains to be seen whether Arsenal will discuss a larger bid and are being pushed for an answer by intermediaries who want to get things moving towards a conclusion.