Chelsea and Manchester City are set to reignite interest in Leonardo Bonucci who is unsettled at Juventus, as per reports.
Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport have reported that Leonardo Bonucci is unsettled at Juventus and the centre-back may be ready to call it quits in the summer. This has led to Chelsea and Manchester City reviving their interest in the Italy international and an bid may be in the offing in the off-season.
Leonardo Bonucci has blossomed into one of the best defenders in the world ever since he made the upward move from Bari to Juventus in 2010. In the seven years since then, Bonucci has established himself as a mainstay for both club and country.
Having developed superb technical skills, alongside a good reading of the game, Bonucci has been ever present at the back for Juventus, racking up 300 appearances for the Italian champions. He has also presented himself as a threat in set piece situations and is often a menace to deal with in corners.
With Bonucci being one of the best central defenders in the world, it goes without saying that several clubs could do with a player of his talents. Indeed, the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City were all reported to be interested in the Italy international in recent months.
But, Bonucci chose to snub the interest from three of Premier League’s biggest clubs by staying in Turin and penning a new five-year deal with Juventus in December.
However, despite all the successes in recent years all does not seem to be well between Bonucci and Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri. The two recently had a bust-up, which was followed by Bonucci being fined before being excluded from the Juventus squad to face Porto on Wednesday.
This has put Bonucci’s position at Juventus under a cloud, with the player himself considering his future with the Bianoneri. As a result, two of his former suitors could soon reenter the market for him, with Chelsea and Man City keeping a tab on his situation at the Juventus Stadium.
Indeed, Chelsea and Manchester City have been reported to be in the market for a centre-back, scouting several defenders for a move in the summer. Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is looking to beef up his defensive options in the summer despite astounding performances from his defenders, with an ageing first-choice backline to contend with currently.
Kurt Zouma is still finding his feet following a cruel knee injury that he suffered last season, while the future of Andreas Christensen is uncertain at best. With this in mind, a reunion with Bonucci will do wonders to his squad.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, on the other hand, has a defensive crisis to deal with with only Liverpool having a worse defensive record than the Citizens in the Premier League Top 8. John Stones has struggled to settle at the Etihad Stadium while Vincent Kompany has had to battle injury problems.
Thus, a move to bring Bonucci to the Etihad Stadium could bolster the City back line. But they might have to go head-to-head with Chelsea in order to land the Italian in the summer. It now remains to be seen how things develop before the transfer window reopens in June.
