I still think it's exceedingly difficult to call at this stage.
I don't share many peoples' apparent pessimism in the sense that I do still think we will make two midfield signings, I just think that it's not yet apparent who those are likely to be.
I think profile wise we're likely to target an all-rounder to offer competition to Mainoo, and a player to anchor the midfield when necessary.
I have a feeling that Alex Scott might end up being the all-rounder. His passing isn't at an elite level but he does most things well, and is probably solid enough defensively that you could pair him with Mainoo if necessary without leaving the midfield wide open. I also think that, with two years left on his contract, Bournemouth may end up reluctantly letting him go in spite of the current reports that they don't want to sell.
In terms of the anchor, I think that's a lot less clear. I'd say Tchouameni is the club's obvious dream target here but it's not apparent that he's likely to leave Madrid at this stage. It does seem that there's some openness to sell him from their side so I think this is one to watch. I'd imagine Baleba will at least be one of the alternatives, and maybe Berge or Tyler Adams are the cheaper targets.
There's also the distinct possibility that a name we're yet to hear comes into the picture, although patently that's much more difficult to guess.
At this stage, given that I still think Tchouameni is unlikely, I'm going to guess that our signings will be Alex Scott and Sander Berge.
