Guimaraes bid a tearful farewell to his team-mates and to staff before leaving the club’s pre-season training camp in Spain.<\/p>\n
He will become the fourth key player to move on in less than a year.<\/p>\n
Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon joined Tottenham Hotspur<\/a> and Barcelona respectively earlier in the window, while Alexander Isak went to Liverpool<\/a> last summer.<\/p>\n Losing Guimaraes is a particular blow, given his status as the club’s talisman, but Newcastle<\/a> chief executive David Hopkinson suggested Arsenal<\/a> had hoped to pay a smaller fee after lower sums were initially floated for a player who turns 29 in November.<\/p>\n However, Hopkinson recognised that Newcastle<\/a>, conversely, would have liked “an even higher number” for such an influential figure.<\/p>\n “You’re dealing with very sophisticated actors on each side,” he said. “That’s what negotiation looks like.<\/p>\n “It’s a fee that satisfies us. If you want to put a merchandising spin on it, it’s the highest fee for a player in that position at that age, and all those things come into play.<\/p>\n “Is it a good deal for Newcastle United<\/a>? I believe it is, but Arsenal<\/a> are getting a very special player and person. It’s worked from a financial perspective for both sides.”<\/p>\n Newcastle<\/a> are active in the market to bring in a replacement.<\/p>\n