Guimaraes future decided before I arrived - Jaissle

Newcastle United manager Matthias Jaissle says a decision about Bruno Guimaraes' future had already been taken by the time he first met the club's departing captain.

Arsenal are set to complete their protracted £75m move for the midfielder after a breakthrough in discussions.

Jaissle briefly spoke to Guimaraes at the club's training camp in Spain earlier this week, but the 28-year-old went on to bid an emotional farewell to his team-mates and club staff.

"I met him quickly, but the decision was already made," Jaissle said in his first meeting with reporters following his appointment as head coach.

"It was a nice conversation. He's a fantastic player and a great human being. It's tough but for him now it's the next challenge and we need to deal with it at a later stage.

"We trust the players who are here already, but we will also see some changes."

Guimaraes is set to become the fourth key player to leave Newcastle in less than a year.

Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali moved to Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur respectively earlier in the window while Alexander Isak joined Liverpool last summer.