Newcastle are expecting an offer from Arsenal for Jermaine Jenas after Juventus agreed a £13.7 million transfer to take Patrick Vieira from Highbury.

Vieira's sale increases Arsene Wenger's funds for a replacement but Newcastle will want more than than £13.8 million for Jenas, who joined from Nottingham Forest for £5 million in 2002.

Jenas made an immediate impact but his performances over the past two seasons, while hinting at his potential, may not persuade Arsenal that the 22-year-old matches the valuation of Newcastle's manager, Graeme Souness.

Newcastle do not need to sell urgently and Jenas has not been agitating for a move. "I can only repeat what has been said on several occasions and that is that JJ is not for sale," Newcastle's chairman, Freddy Shepherd, said yesterday.

Souness was equally firm that only a huge offer would make Newcastle consider selling: "If we were to sell Jermaine, which is the last thing on my mind, it would have to be for a lot more money than Patrick Vieira is being sold for."

Having bought Scott Parker and Emre Belozoglu, and with Luis Boa Morte expected to join soon, midfield is the one area where Newcastle have strength in depth. Nicky Butt, Lee Bowyer, Hugo Viana and Amdy Faye are still at the club. Kieron Dyer is likely to have a more forward role next season but few would doubt he is a midfielder.

Vieira's move to Juventus should be completed after a medical today. He has agreed a five-year contract and Wenger asked Arsenal fans to "trust" him in selling the captain. He promised the team would be "strong" next season.

Wenger called Vieira "one of the greatest (players) in the club's history" and added: "The sad thing is that he leaves us, but the good thing is that he leaves us on a high. His last kick for the club was symbolic as it won us the FA Cup."

It was Wenger's decision to sell Vieira, though the player said he had made the "difficult" decision to go because he needed a new challenge. "That does not mean I was unhappy or that I was having a problem at Arsenal," he said. "It was just that I had the feeling I needed to grow."

Juventus will pay half the fee now and make further payments of £5 million in July 2006 and 2007.