Newcastle United agree fee for Arsenal and Man United target

According to Sky Sports, Newcastle United have come to an agreement with Lyon for Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimarāes.

The Magpies are thought to have offered a fee in the region of £30million for the 24-year-old who has formerly attracted the attention of Arsenal, Manchester United and PSG, among others.

News of the transfer comes as Newcastle’s proposed loan move for Jesse Lingard collapsed due to a dispute in loan fee valuation, with Howe desperate to add dynamism to his midfield.

Since being taken over by a Saudi-led consortium, the North-West club have hit a roadblock with several negotiations due to player reluctancy attributed to their precarious league position.

What can Newcastle fans look forward to?

A trequartista by trade, Guimarāes boasts the ability to play a variety of roles in the midfield.

The Brazil international can play deep — utilising his passing range, centrally — piecing together the defence and attack, and behind the striker — finding space in confined areas.

In the famous black and white, Guimarāes will likely feature in a hybrid version of the latter two roles, slotting in to help protect the defence when out of possession and supporting lone striker Callum Wilson in the event of turnovers.

Newcastle’s number nine stands to gain the most from the signing, as a specific attribute of the aforementioned is his eye for a pass into the striker, aided by lightning-fast decision making.

The Tyneside club are now entering the final negotiations with Lyon before entering personal talks with the player and before the deal is ultimately confirmed.

Conflicting reports from the French club

Although Sky Sports and other reputable outlets believe a deal has been agreed on between Newcastle and Lyon, the selling club has taken to social media to deny such claims.

"L’Olympique Lyonnais dément catégoriquement les fausses informations diffusées par de nombreux médias faisant état d’un accord entre Newcastle et l’OL pour le transfert du milieu de terrain international brésilien Bruno Guimaraes.Google transalation:Olympique Lyonnais categorically denies the false information disseminated by many media reporting an agreement between Newcastle and OL for the transfer of Brazilian international midfielder Bruno Guimaraes. (Via: Olympique Lyonnais)"

Newcastle will be hoping this doesn’t throw the deal out altogether and it is just a minor setback for them in negotiations.