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Newcastle United CEO David Hopkinson has acknowledged that the club is content with securing a record-breaking sale of a 28-year-old player as Bruno Guimarães edges closer to completing a move to Arsenal.
A transfer fee of $101 million (£75 million) was reached between the clubs last week after, in Hopkinson's own words, Guimarães made a "very emotional" plea to depart St James' Park this summer.
"We didn't want to sell Bruno," Hopkinson revealed. "It wasn't part of the plan to sell Bruno. None of us, or the ownership, wanted to sell Bruno.
"He's our captain, he was incredibly important to us and the discussion around his price ... it's a world-record fee for a player of his age.
"What we had to consider was, very respectfully from Bruno through his conduct toward us, very emotionally as well, he essentially told us he wanted to leave and move forward.
"That doesn't mean he can simply go, but it certainly factors into our thinking when we reach a certain figure. But there's no use pretending it was part of our strategy or plans this summer—it wasn't.
"But we have to remain flexible and respond to situations as they arise. We may have planned to sign one player but when that didn't work out, we moved on to another. We can only be transparent about that."
Hopkinson: Not the Fee Arsenal Wanted to Pay
The situation surrounding Guimarães was an intriguing one that began with extensive talks between intermediaries and uncertainty over his valuation.
Initial reports suggested Arsenal were confident they could land Guimarães for under $81 million (£60 million), but Newcastle quickly responded with a asking price of $135 million (£100 million). In the end, both parties settled on a figure somewhere between the two.
"It was not the fee that I believe Arsenal had hoped to pay, and of course we would have preferred an even higher figure," Hopkinson said.
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"But I think you're dealing with experienced parties on both sides and that's what the negotiation process looks like.
"It's a fee that we're satisfied with. If you want to frame it positively, it's the highest fee ever paid for a player in that position at that age. Is that a good outcome for Newcastle United? I believe it is.
"Arsenal is acquiring a truly exceptional player and person, so this works from a financial standpoint for both clubs."