Newcastle United sporting director Ross Wilson has confirmed that Bruno Guimaraes pushed for a move to Arsenal, describing the captain as having been "very emotional" when he communicated his desire to leave the club.

The Premier League champions are on the verge of completing a £75 million transfer for the Brazilian midfielder, with talks between the two clubs reaching a breakthrough this week.

Wilson acknowledged the departure was not part of Newcastle's summer planning. "There's no part in saying it was part of our strategy and was in our thinking this summer — it wasn't," he said. "But we have got to be flexible and react to things that happen."

A captain's farewell

Guimaraes said an emotional goodbye to team-mates and staff before leaving the club's pre-season training camp in Spain, a scene that underlined how difficult the exit was for all involved.

Wilson stressed the club had no intention of selling their talisman, but that Guimaraes's own wishes ultimately shaped the outcome. "What we had to weigh up was, very respectfully from Bruno with his behaviour towards us, very emotionally as well, he effectively told us he wanted to leave and move on," Wilson explained.

"That doesn't mean he can go, but it certainly plays a part in what our thinking is when we hit a certain range of number."

A record fee and tough negotiations

Newcastle chief executive David Hopkinson revealed that Arsenal had initially hoped to pay less for the 28-year-old, who turns 29 in November. Newcastle, for their part, would have preferred an even higher figure for such a pivotal player.

"You're dealing with very sophisticated actors on each side," Hopkinson said. "That's what negotiation looks like. It's a fee that satisfies us. If you want to put a merchandising spin on it, it's the highest fee for a player in that position at that age."

Hopkinson added: "Is it a good deal for Newcastle United? I believe it is, but Arsenal are getting a very special player and person. It's worked from a financial perspective for both sides."

The fourth key departure

Guimaraes becomes the fourth high-profile player to leave Newcastle in under a year. Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon moved to Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona respectively earlier this summer window, while Alexander Isak departed for Liverpool last summer.

Newcastle are actively seeking a replacement and have set their sights on a more experienced midfielder. Four of the club's five summer signings so far have been aged 20 or under, and the club intend to make further additions before the transfer window closes on 1 September.

Wilson, however, cautioned against hasty decisions, warning the club does not want to make "any mistakes by jumping to do something that we don't really want to do to tick a box."