Newcastle target Bruno 2.0 with ‘out-of-this-world’ £34m sensation

Newcastle United have yet to add any additional players to their squad in the January transfer window, which has been open for business for almost two weeks.

The Magpies have so far ruled out adding Eddie Howe to their group, but there is still time for the club to enter the market to find more quality.

Newcastle moved up to sixth in the Premier League table after a dramatic 4-3 victory over Leeds United at St James’ Park in their last top-flight clash, but there is always room for new signings to improve the team.

Newcastle target Serie A star

In fact, the Magpies are reportedly considering several Italian players who could offer Howe something different in the second half of the season.

According to TEAMtalk, Newcastle United are interested in signing Atalanta trio Giorgio Scalvini, Ederson and Honest Ahanoglu in the January transfer window.

The Magpies are reportedly interested in all three players and are monitoring the Italian team’s performance.

It was also revealed that they “like” central midfielder Ederson, who is reportedly worth up to £34m, as they look to add a bit more “bite” to their midfield ranks, alongside Joelinton, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimarães.

However, TEAMtalk has not revealed how likely Newcastle are to make a formal approach for the midfield star in the current transfer window, only stating that he is their target at this time.

Why Newcastle should sign Ederson in January

The Magpies need to push the boat out to get Ederson to St James’ Park this month. Because he could become the 2.0 of Howe’s Bruno Guimarães in the middle of the park.

Similar to the current Newcastle star, the Atalanta central midfielder is a Brazilian dynamo who can provide quality performances in and out of possession in midfield, based on his performances in Italy in recent seasons.

In fact, Ederson appears to offer even more to the team than Bruno, considering his respective performances in the Premier League and Serie A in the 2024-25 season.

The graph above shows that they are very similar in many metrics of possession and attack, but the Atalanta star delivered more to his team defensively, with a higher number of tackles and interceptions per 90, and a higher success rate in duels.

As well as being a competitive midfielder, Ederson has scored 13 goals in 138 Serie A games, according to Transfermarkt, and has scored four or more league goals in two of the past three seasons.

This means that Atalanta’s ace can provide a decent goal threat from a midfield position, like Bruno, who has scored 20 goals in 144 Premier League games, according to Transfermarkt.

Ederson, who was described as “out of this world” by Fabio Capello for his balanced play in midfield, was on the same level as Bruno defensively in 2025/26 and generally outperformed him in all competitions over the past 365 days.

As you can see from the table above, both of the £34m-rated stars might be a little more promising in terms of defensive efficiency, but both are combative midfielders who like to fit in.

This means Ederson could be a great replacement for Bruno, or a midfield partner if the Magpies’ current stars need to be rested or replaced.

The Brazilian star’s performances in Serie A suggest he has the physical, defensive and technical attributes needed to be a good addition to the team, and is a do-it-all midfielder, which is why he is such an exciting signing.

That’s why PIF must hurry to secure a deal for the 26-year-old star player, who is in the prime of his career, to strengthen Howe’s squad before the January transfer window closes.