[BEGIN_OF_TEXT] Arsenal have signed Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle in a £75m transfer. The 28-year-old player, who had two years remaining on his contract at Newcastle, told the club that he wanted to leave and joined Arsenal after an opening bid was rejected.

Guimaraes will wear the number 39 shirt with the Gunners and has agreed a four-year deal with a further one-year option. He said: "I feel amazing. I'm glad for the opportunity. Since the first time I spoke to Andrea Berta and Mikel Arteta, I was excited. I just felt inside of me that I need a new challenge in my life and I think to be an Arsenal player is going to be an exciting challenge in my life.

I'm so excited to join you. I will give you my best, I promise. I'm your warrior, I'll never give up. Hopefully we can create many, many good memories together."- Where will Bruno Guimaraes fit in at Arsenal? - Transfer Centre LIVE!- |- Arsenal news & transfers🔴⚪ - Got Sky?- Watch Premier League games LIVE on your phone📱 - Not got Sky?- Latest Sky Sports deals- or- stream PL games with no contract📺

'Bruno will allow Arsenal to develop playing style'

Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta added: "We are delighted to welcome Bruno Guimaraes to our club. Bruno is a player with a great mentality and great quality, who will bring strong leadership to our squad.

With Bruno joining us, we are further strengthening the heart of our team. As we have all seen, Bruno can play as a defensive midfielder and as a box-to-box player. He combines quality with quantity, and has provided goals and assists for his team every year.

Bruno will allow Mikel to further develop our playing style and will also increase our internal competitiveness, which is essential for maintaining the standards required when we are aiming to win major trophies."- Newcastle were desperate to keep Guimaraes Sky Sports News reporter Keith Downie: Newcastle were desperate to keep Guimaraes and if he had said he wanted to stay, Newcastle would have refused any offer from Arsenal or any other club.

Attempts to persuade Guimaraes otherwise were made and positive conversations were held, but he was insistent he wanted to leave because he felt this was his last big opportunity to win titles.

The deal could only go ahead if two things happened: Guimaraes said he wanted to leave (which he has respectfully) and Newcastle sold on their terms, similar to Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon.

Newcastle insisted it was their valuation or no deal. They would only sell Guimaraes at a fee that would become one of the highest paid for a player aged 28 or over.

In addition, a deal would only be sanctioned if the situation was handled properly - for example, Guimaraes attending Newcastle's training camp in Spain, which he reported to on Monday.

Newcastle feel Guimaraes has complied with their demands immaculately. They did not want a repeat of the Alexander Isak situation, where he refused to train before joining Liverpool last summer.

Agents were in between the clubs from the outset but Newcastle refused all pushes, which had began with mentions of a deal worth £40-£45m in June.

Newcastle were left frustrated because they felt Arsenal elongated the transfer by refusing to contact them for weeks.

Newcastle insist there have been no fall outs and good relations remain between player and club.