Chelsea and Manchester City are reportedly all set for a summer battle to land Leonardo Bonucci from Juventus.
Italian publication Calciomercato have reported that Chelsea and Manchester City are set to go head to head to sign Leonardo Bonucci, who is looking highly likely to leave Juventus in the summer transfer window.
Bonucci has been ever present at the back for Juventus and Italy for several years now, and is widely rated as one of the best in his trade in the world. In fact, the 29-year-old has been integral to the fortunes of both club and country, with the Bianconeri winning the Serie A title in the last five years.
He has been a key figure for Massimiliano Allegri this season as well, and his rock solid presence at the back has been a fundamental factor in Juventus being well on course to winning the Scudetto yet again.
However, despite all the successes in recent seasons, all does not seem to be going hunky dory at the Juventus Stadium. Bonucci had an on-field spat with Allegri last month, that subsequently resulted in the centre-back being dropped from Juventus’ squad to face Porto.
That set things in motion towards a possible summer exit, with several clubs registering an interest in signing Bonucci in the summer, before the player himself committed himself to Juventus. However, recent developments have revealed that the Italy international is ready to push for a move to the Premier League.
As a result, Chelsea and Manchester City have sprung into action, and are set to go head to head in order to secure Bonucci’s services come June. Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is eager to bring in defensive reinforcements in the summer, in order to challenge on all four fronts.
Bonucci is a player he knows inside out, having previously managed him at Juventus and Italy, and he can easily play in the system Conte has employed at Stamford Bridge. But, the Blues are also set to face competition from Manchester City in their attempts to sign Bonucci.
Manchester City tried signing the 29-year-old last summer, before he chose to stay in Turin and put pen to paper on a new deal. However, with Bonucci on the verge of leaving Juventus, Pep Guardiola is eager to re-enter the market for him.
City have been susceptible at the back all season long. That is because Vincent Kompany has barely managed to play this term, while John Stones has struggled to adapt to his new surroundings, with Nicolas Otamendi also blowing hot and cold.
With Bonucci at the peak of his powers, he could prove to be a world class solution for both clubs. The report states that a fee of €50 million could tempt Juventus into letting go of the defender, with an annual pay package of €6.5-7 million being enough to lure in Bonucci.
Thus, an enticing summer battle seems to be setting up for Bonucci, and it remains to be seen if Chelsea and Manchester City can manage to land their target man come June.
