Chapter 341: Public Opinion

Chapter 341: Public Opinion

With the inauguration of Manchester United's new CEO, Cristiano Giaretta officially took charge of the club. However, the news that dominated global headlines was whether Bruno would transfer to Manchester United this summer.

Having just led Portugal to victory over France to win the Henri Delaunay Trophy, Bruno's popularity was sweeping the globe. Fans everywhere hoped he would join their favorite teams.

Catalonia's Mundo Deportivo called for action, suggesting that Barcelona should seize the opportunity to sign Bruno this summer. They warned that if he moved to top clubs like Real Madrid or Manchester United, it would be much harder for Barcelona to acquire him later.

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu also stated that the club had not given up on pursuing Bruno and was willing to go to great lengths, even considering Neymar as a bargaining chip. However, Spain's Marca quickly responded, analyzing why Bruno's transfer to Barcelona was unlikely.

"Messi is the biggest obstacle to Bruno's transfer to Barcelona. Unless Barcelona sells Messi, Bruno will not join them," stated Marca.

Marca also revealed that Real Madrid was very close to signing Bruno. Florentino Pérez was determined to bring Bruno to the Bernabéu. Since 2014, Pérez had been in contact with Udinese to sign Bruno.

"In fact, Pérez's goal from the start has always been the same. Real Madrid's sole target has always been the best player in the world, Bruno!"

Regarding the coexistence of Bruno and Ronaldo, Marca believed it was not an unsolvable issue. As teammates in the national team, Bruno and Ronaldo had already cooperated well, and this experience could be transplanted to Real Madrid.

As news about Bruno's possible move to Manchester United kept Red Devils fans on edge, Manchester United officially announced on July 16 that they had signed N'Golo Kanté from Leicester City for €45 million.

This was the second-highest transfer fee of the summer transfer window, only behind Hulk's €55.8 million move to Shanghai SIPG.

This was the first major signing since the Middle Eastern owners took over Manchester United. Although Zlatan Ibrahimović was a bigger name, he had joined on a free transfer.

However, Kanté's headline was soon overshadowed by more rumors about Bruno's transfer. This time, it was from Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport, claiming that Bruno was preparing to leave Udinese.

Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Bruno had cleared out his rented house in Udinese and had not looked for another one, indicating his intention to leave. They concluded that Bruno would leave Udinese this summer.

"After Udinese's Champions League quarterfinal exit last season, Bruno felt he had reached his limit in Serie A and wanted a new challenge. Compared to Barcelona with Messi and Real Madrid with Ronaldo, the Manchester clubs seemed the best fit for him."

Gazzetta dello Sport also claimed to have a reliable source from Jassim's team confirming Manchester United's strong interest in Bruno and their intention to build the team around him.

With Gazzetta dello Sport's revelations, news about Bruno's potential move to Manchester United once again took the world by storm, capturing the attention and discussion of media and fans globally.

While rumors were flying, Bruno was vacationing in a picturesque town in the Swiss Alps.

After returning to Portugal for celebrations, Bruno flew to Switzerland for a holiday. Few knew about Bruno's whereabouts to avoid disturbances, but media and fans eventually found out and flocked to his location.

A week had passed since Giaretta took over as Manchester United's CEO. During this time, United announced the signing of Kanté and reportedly made an offer for Udinese's Harry Maguire.

Transfer market rumors were rampant, with clubs raising prices, agents testing the waters, and some looking to capitalize on the buzz. But everyone's primary focus remained on Bruno.

The Guardian conducted a poll on their website with over 500,000 Manchester United fans voting. Over 98% of them hoped Bruno would be the star to join United this summer, far surpassing any other player.

After three years of decline, Manchester United fans worldwide eagerly anticipated Bruno's potential arrival.

The global media also hoped to see Bruno join Manchester United. The two hottest topics in this summer's European transfer market were Bruno's transfer and how Manchester United, with new owners, would make waves in the market. Combining these would certainly create a global sensation.

Meanwhile, the media speculated that Bruno might join Barcelona or Real Madrid. They preferred seeing him in the Premier League to maintain balance between La Liga and the Premier League. Hence, not only Manchester United fans but also the global media were subtly pushing Bruno toward the Premier League.

From Europe to North America to Africa to Asia, newspapers worldwide were discussing Bruno's potential destination. Amidst this frenzy, Bruno was nowhere to be found.

When news of Bruno's vacation in Switzerland broke, media and fans swarmed to his holiday estate.

"It seems you can't avoid this," Vanessa said to Bruno with a smile.

Bruno nodded helplessly, "It's okay, I'll handle it quickly."

It was already late July, and clubs across Europe were preparing for the new season. While players who participated in the European Championship might still be on vacation, Bruno wanted to settle his transfer soon to focus on preseason preparations and not affect his performance next season.

Bruno left his vacation estate to meet the media and interact with the enthusiastic fans.

The media's main concern was Bruno's next move.

Bruno deftly dodged the question, saying he was still an Udinese player and that any transfer decision was not up to him.

"I think you should ask Mr. Pozzo about that," Bruno replied with a smile.

Regarding Giaretta's public interest in him, Bruno said it was just an old friend being kind.

"But I'll say it again, I'm still an Udinese player, so it's not appropriate for me to comment too much."

There were rumors that Barcelona was negotiating with Udinese to sign Bruno for €150 million in installments.

Bruno responded that he had not heard such rumors but appreciated Barcelona's interest. However, he reiterated that any decisions would be made by Udinese since he was their player.

After several questions, the media realized that Bruno answered everything diplomatically, leaving no loopholes. He maintained a polite and cooperative attitude throughout, making it hard for the media to be upset with him.

The interview lasted about half an hour, with Bruno answering almost all questions, but the reporters left with no substantial information.

While Bruno continued his vacation, the European summer transfer market was in full swing.

Speculation about whether he would leave Udinese was a daily topic, but there was no concrete progress, only occasional rumors and statements from club officials.

However, other transfers were proceeding smoothly. Manchester United signed Harry Maguire from Udinese for £25 million (€30 million) after acquiring Ibrahimović and Kanté. Real Madrid spent €30 million to re-sign Alvaro Morata from Juventus.

Barcelona made significant moves, signing André Gomes for €35 million, Samuel Umtiti for €25 million, and Lucas Digne for €16.5 million.

Manchester City made smaller moves, signing winger Nolito for €19 million, backup goalkeeper Rulli for €5 million, and young midfielder Zinchenko for €2 million.

(End of Chapter)

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