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Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes is on course for a move to the Premier League champions.

Arsenal’s summer chase for Newcastle United skipper Bruno Guimaraes is now entering its final stage, with the Brazil midfielder set to complete a £75 million transfer to the North London side.

New information has now surfaced about the exact negotiating method used by the Gunners during a transfer saga that is edging towards its conclusion.

As per Sky Sports North East reporter Keith Downie, Newcastle officials were puzzled by Arsenal’s strategy, especially in the opening phase of talks.

The foundations for the deal were reportedly put in place several weeks ago when intermediaries made contact with Newcastle to understand what would be required to lure their star midfielder to the Emirates Stadium.

Soon after that, Guimaraes told Newcastle’s hierarchy that he was willing to join the reigning Premier League champions.

Instead of using that momentum to make an immediate formal move, Arsenal stepped back.

Downie said: "Arsenal elongated the transfer by refusing to contact Newcastle for weeks — which Newcastle found bizarre."

Rather than establishing direct communication between the two clubs, Arsenal reportedly kept working through middle-men for a prolonged spell. That tactic is said to have left Newcastle executives wondering why the Gunners were intentionally delaying official contact despite the player’s interest already being clear.

Newcastle were determined to keep Guimaraes and had no intention whatsoever of selling their headline midfielder, but ultimately they were left with little room to manoeuvre. If the 28-year-old had indicated that he wanted to stay on Tyneside, the Magpies would have turned down any bid from Arsenal or any other interested club.

But Guimaraes, 28, did not change his position and told Newcastle’s senior figures that he wanted to move on because he believed joining Arsenal would give him a stronger opportunity to challenge for major honours.

Once Arsenal finally opened club-to-club talks and matched Newcastle’s valuation, discussions moved quickly towards the £75m deal, which is now close to being approved by the Premier League.

Despite the transfer, the relationship between Guimaraes and Newcastle remains completely friendly ahead of his switch to North London.

Although the departure of their captain is a significant setback, the £75m fee gives the club financial room to reshape the squad before the new season and the beginning of a fresh sporting cycle on Tyneside.