I don't fear for Newcastle - if Bruno Guimaraes wants to join Arsenal let him

That is the frank view of former Newcastle winger Chris Waddle, who believes United should not keep players who no longer want to be at the football club.

News emerged last week that Guimaraes had asked to leave Newcastle to join Arsenal, amid interest from last season's Champions League finalists.

However, there still has been no club to club contact over a move and Newcastle's stance remains that their captain is not for sale. The Gunners had been given confidence that a bid of around £50-60million could tempt United into a sale but that is not believed to be the view inside St James' Park.

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Given the price of other midfielders on the market this summer, a bid of around £90-100million may be needed for Newcastle to even consider a sale, particularly given the likes of Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon have already left the club this summer.

"I'm looking at the players Newcastle are linked with, particularly the younger ones," Waddle told OLBG. "It seems they're shifting towards a younger recruitment strategy, focusing on developing talent to sell on, much like Tottenham has done over the years.

"Many of the players they've been linked with are quite young and unproven. They could turn out to be top players, or they might not. The players you read about and who they are linked with show they are going down that younger, high-potential avenue.

"But if Guimaraes has asked for a transfer, Newcastle are likely thinking, 'We can cash in.' But if he has asked for a transfer, they shouldn’t have to pay his wages.

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