STEVE BRUCE has admitted Newcastle missed out on signing £115million new Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo for just £4.5m.
Ex-Toon boss Bruce revealed club scouts raved about the "sensational" whizkid before he joined Brighton from home country club Independiente del Valle in 2021.
Now Caicedo, 21, has become Britain's most expensive player.
Chelsea surpassed their own record of £107m for Enzo Fernandez last week after the Ecuadorean rejected a £11m switch to Liverpool.
And Caicedo's no-go to Tyneside is one of the biggest transfer regrets Bruce has.
The Manchester United legend, 62, bossed his local club the Magpies from 2019-2021.
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He told William Hill and Footy Accumulators’ No Tippy Tappy Football podcast: "When I was at Newcastle we tried to sign Moises Caicedo for £4.5 million and I remember thinking what a good player he was.
"The chief scout at Newcastle, Steve Nixon, came and told me that I had to see him play and that he was sensational.
“He ended up choosing Brighton instead of Newcastle.
"That will go down as one that we missed out on because now he’s gone on to become the British record transfer fee for £115 million, but he is a top, top player.”
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But Bruce still reckons the Toon can repeat last season's stunning achievement of qualifying for the Champions League.
He said: “I wouldn’t be surprised if Newcastle managed to finish in the top four again this season.
"They are going to have more competition for it this year because you would expect Liverpool and Chelsea to both be better than they were last year.
"I think they have bought really well again and they’ve had a good start to the season, so we’ll have to wait and see."
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