I'm surprised by the reactions to the Bruno links here. He is, and I'm pretty confident will remain, the best midfielder we've been linked with this summer. He's a level above Tonali, Fernandes, Scott and the rest, while Bouaddi, as talented as he is, is still at least 2-3 years away from reaching Bruno's level.
Bruno has been the third-best central midfielder in the league behind Rice and Szoboszlai over the last couple of seasons. His passing and tactical level were already top-notch when he joined Newcastle, and his attacking game has gone up another level since then. He has 7G 8A, 5G 6A and 9G 6A in the last 3 premier league seasons.
Yes, he's a cunt, and yes, he's about to turn 29, but there are still 2-3 top seasons left in him. These are exactly the sort of players you go for when they become available. Signing Bruno instead of Bouaddi significantly increases our chances of winning the Premier League or Champions League over the next two seasons, even if it isn't the best long-term option.
I'm not worried about the financial side of things either. Where we need to improve is player sales and turning young players into profits, not looking for value at our top targets. If we can get him for £60-70m, it would be a great piece of business.
