Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal transfer 'to go through'
Arsenal will get their move to sign Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes over the line before the end of the transfer window.
That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that the Magpies will be left in a hugely "difficult position" if they cannot keep hold of their captain.
This comes after Football Insider revealed that Arsenal are confident of completing a deal for the Brazil international after new talks, even though Newcastle are adamant he is not going.
Nevertheless, Wyness "expects" the deal to get done in the coming weeks, with the player having already made it clear that he is keen on the move.
Newcastle are fighting to keep the 28-year-old at St James' Park for at least one more season, but their battle is likely to become increasingly difficult.
Eddie Howe has already lost Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali this summer, while the club's four incomings so far have been aged 20 or younger.
Newcastle no longer an 'ambitious project'
Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that Newcastle fans would "demand" a truly "special" signing if they succumbed to the sale of Guimaraes.
The Scottish businessman has questioned whether the same level of "ambition" that has been seen in recent years still remains at the club, after a series of high-profile exits.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, he emphasised his expectation that Guimaraes will become an Arsenal player.
"That will leave Newcastle in a difficult position. Even though they'll get that money again, we've seen them have the (Alexander) Isak money before," Wyness said.
"The fans will be demanding something pretty special to try and fill the hole that those three players have left because those were pretty much the three stars on the team.
"We've been flagging it for months now, saying this is a crucial window for Newcastle; now it's become even more important because I do expect that deal to go through to Arsenal.
"I feel sorry for Newcastle, who built a great squad, but now they're having to rebuild again, and they've got their last rebuild wrong.
"It's not quite the ambitious project that it was viewed as two or three seasons ago. So it's a big sell for them to get the quality of players back in there."
Newcastle 'confident' with second Lucas Bergvall bid
Former Tottenham scout Mick Brown told Football Insider on Friday that Newcastle are "confident" of being able to "outbid" Nottingham Forest to sign Spurs midfielder Lucas Bergvall.
The ex-recruitment man suggested that the Magpies are ready to return to the negotiating table with a second offer, after seeing their initial bid of £46m knocked back.
Bergvall is understood to be "top of the list" for Howe when it comes to midfield reinforcements this summer.
Newcastle have already lost Tonali in that area, and with Guimaraes also facing an uncertain future, a move for Bergvall is a top priority.