Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has conceded that he does not know whether captain Bruno Guimarães will still be at the club when the new season begins, as speculation over a move to Arsenal refuses to go away.

Speaking to Sky Sports after Newcastle's 1-1 preseason friendly draw with Gateshead on Saturday, Howe said his conversations with the Brazilian midfielder have remained private. "What we speak about obviously has to remain private, but just a great player, a great person," he told reporters.

When pressed on whether Guimarães would be at St. James' Park next season, Howe was candid: "I don't know what's going to happen with Bruno's future. That's for other people to speculate about, but also conversations that I'm not part of."

Arsenal's interest and the fee stumbling block

Sources told ESPN in early July that Arsenal were preparing to intensify their pursuit of Guimarães, though the transfer fee has emerged as a significant obstacle in any potential deal.

The uncertainty surrounding the club's captain comes after an already turbulent summer at Newcastle. Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon have both departed — joining Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona respectively — while striker Alexander Isak was sold to Liverpool on deadline day last September.

A challenging summer for Howe

Howe made no attempt to hide his frustration at the club's ongoing departures. "We don't want to lose our best players. That's an obvious statement to make. So, losing those big two is painful for us, and difficult," he said.

"For me, it's been another challenging summer so far, but we're always trying to do our best for the football club, short and long-term, and try and get the squad in its best shape," the manager added.

With Guimarães' future still unresolved, Newcastle face the prospect of beginning their season without one of their most influential figures — a scenario Howe is clearly keen to avoid.