Report: Fiorentina close to signing Gent’s Bronn

Following his installment as Fiorentina DS for the second time in a decade, Daniele Pradè is close to locking up his first signing, according to TuttoMercatoWeb (which, in fairness, isn’t the most reliable source of all time). Gent centerback Dylan Bronn is the man in question and would probably cost somewhere in the region of €8 million, given that his contract runs out in 2 years. If he’s told the Flemish outfit that he wants out, now’s their best chance to cash in, although they’ll probably have to wait until the player wraps up his international obligations at AFCON.

Bronn is, at 23, a 12-time Tunisian international probably best known for the remarkable goal-scoring record he possesses. After starting his career at Cannes—just like Francois Truffaut and Paul Thomas Anderson—he moved to Niort on a free in 2016 and was snapped up by the Buffalos a year later for a cool €1 million; he’s blossomed there over the past 2 seasons, making 70 appearances and scoring an eye-catching 10 goals. His 8 strikes in 43 appearances last season gave him a goals/minute ratio of 1/315, which is perfectly identical to Giovanni Simeone’s.

Bronn isn’t just a novelty goalscorer, though he provides a threat from set pieces (more due to his excellent movement than to his physical dominance), the penalty spot, and the occasional banger from open play. That latter category highlights his personality on the pitch a bit more: he’s a dynamic defender, one who likes to get his shorts dirty with Hollywood tackles before striding forward with the ball, looking to play the killer pass. He can be a little uncertain with his positioning defensively, which is compounded by his desire to get forward, and it’d be nice to see him improve his distribution from deep a bit. That said, though, he’s clearly a talented and exciting player.

Perhaps that’s why Sevilla, Real Betis, and Eintracht Frankfurt are all thought to be in on him as well. For Fiorentina, he looks a perfect replacement for someone like Nikola Milenković; while he lacks the Mountain’s sheer power and athleticism, his drive would be a fantastic option on the right of a back three, allowing him to charge forward and become an extra midfielder to overload opponents in the middle. Imagine Facundo Roncaglia but deadly on the ball and you’re getting close to Bronn. The only real shortcoming he has, as far as we’re concerned, is that he wears number 11 for Tunisia. As a centerback. Ugh.