Chelsea and Manchester City have reportedly been handed a major boost in their chase for Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci
According to a report in Yahoo Sports UK, Leonardo Bonucci is prepared to leave Juventus for the Premier League if Massimiliano Allegri remains with the Italian champions, thus handing Chelsea and Manchester City a major boost in the race to sign him.
Bonucci is widely regarded as one of the best central defenders in the world, having been a mainstay in the heart of the Juventus and Italy defence for nearly seven years now. In fact, Bonucci has been one of the cornerstones of the Bianconeri’s success in recent years.
The 29-year-old has been an integral member in the Juventus lineup this season as well, with the club looking all set to win their sixth consecutive Serie A title come May. And a superb reading of the game has seen him help Allegri’s side to boasting the best defensive record in the Top 5 leagues in Europe.
Hence, it goes without saying that many clubs could do with his solid presence at the back. In fact, several outfits across Europe have tried and failed to sign him over the years, but it’s now looking like he could be set to move away from the Juventus Stadium in the summer.
That is because despite a much public reconciliation of their differences resulting from the on-field spat last month, Bonucci and Allegri still don’t share good relations with each other. As a result, the Italian central defender is ready to push for a move to the Premier League, if Allegri remains at the helm next season.
That is sure to hand Chelsea and Manchester City a major boost in their attempts to sign Bonucci, with the Premier League rivals having been hot on his trails since last month. Both clubs have identified him as the ideal player to bolster their defence, as they strive to become genuine Champions League contenders.
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has previously managed Bonucci during his stints with Juventus and the Italian national team and knows just how good he is, and he is adept at playing in a back-three as well. Gary Cahill is on the wrong side of 30s and David Luiz approaching that mark too.
Bonucci is enjoying the best years of his career, and he could thus be the ideal world class solution at the back for the Blues. But, he could be just that for Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola too, with Bonucci being one of his all-time favourite players.
Indeed, Guardiola is desperate to add a central defender in the summer, with Vincent Kompany being beset by a spate of injuries this season, John Stone struggling to settle in at the Etihad and Aleksandar Kolarov failing to make a mark in the makeshift centre-back role.
Thus, Bonucci represents himself as a viable defender for both Chelsea and City to consider, and the report states that it could take a world record fee for a defender to sign him in the summer. It now remains to be seen just how far the two English rivals are ready to go to land Bonucci come June.
