Newcastle United are set to confirm Matthias Jaissle as Eddie Howe's successor, and the German's early transfer plans already suggest an expectation that Bruno Guimaraes will soon become an Arsenal player, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Jaissle is already in La Manga for the Magpies' pre-season training camp ahead of his official appointment. The 38-year-old arrives from Al Ahli with less than three weeks remaining until the Premier League season begins.
Midfield plans and Guimaraes links
Newcastle have added midfielders Sean Steur, 18, from Ajax and Aladji Bamba, 20, from Monaco this summer. Neither is expected to fill the hole that would be left by captain Guimaraes, such is his significant influence on the team.
Rumours over Guimaraes' prospective move to Arsenal continue to emerge, but Chronicle Live understands that a reported £80.4million deal had not been agreed and no official bid had been made on Saturday. Jaissle is expected to hold talks with Guimaraes, who is due to fly to La Manga on Sunday to join his team-mates. Whether the new coach can be persuasive enough to keep the Brazilian content at St James' Park may be another matter.
It has been suggested that Guimaraes is set for a medical with Arsenal as soon as Monday. The former Lyon midfielder is claimed to be poised to sign a five-year contract with the north London club.
Transfer targets and new goalkeeper
Among the midfielders Newcastle have been linked to this summer are Borussia Dortmund's Felix Nmecha, Japan international Kaishu Sano, Stuttgart's Angelo Stiller and Sweden duo Hugo Larsson and Lucas Bergvall.
Ahead of confirmation of Jaissle's appointment, goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek completed his move after passing a medical in Spain. The 24-year-old joins in a £25.7m deal after the club activated his release clause with Braga. The move was sanctioned by Jaissle despite having been in the works during Howe's time, with talks intensifying from Wednesday onwards.
Goalkeeping pecking order
Hornicek is set to become Newcastle's new No.1, with Nick Pope and Eqen Jaouen serving as back-ups. Pope's future is set to be a topic of discussion in the coming weeks, having previously been linked to Ipswich Town and Leeds.
