Arsenal close to Bruno Guimaraes breakthrough as Ornstein reports agreement is near

Arsenal have moved to the brink of signing Bruno Guimaraes, with insider reporting that a full agreement is now close. The Gunners have spent more than a month chasing the Newcastle midfielder and refused to take no for an answer after seeing a verbal offer rejected in June. Newcastle publicly insisted he was not for sale, but that stance has faded as the Brazil international made clear he wanted the move. Guimaraes has informed Newcastle of his desire to join Arsenal, and while no club-to-club agreement has been reached yet, the expectation is that the transfer will be completed. He reported for duty with the Newcastle squad in La Manga on Monday, but is now waiting to be given permission to travel for his Arsenal medical. Newcastle have accepted they will lose their captain. That is another painful development for a club that has already parted ways with Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali this summer, and which is suddenly dealing with a change in the dugout after Eddie Howe resigned last week. Matthias Jaissle, currently at Al-Ahli, is expected to take over. It is unclear how much Arsenal will eventually pay for the 28-year-old. Reports in recent days suggested a formal offer in the region of €70-80m had already been rejected, and the final fee is expected to exceed €80m. Given the current market for central midfielders, that could still represent good value. Newcastle are reported to have identified Borussia Dortmund's Felix Nmecha as a potential replacement. That would not be a straightforward deal, with Dortmund expected to demand more than €100m despite the Germany international having signed a new long-term contract earlier this year. Nmecha, a former Manchester City prospect, grew up in England and is said to be keen on a return to the Premier League.