Chelsea look to offer £48 million plus Nemanja Matic in a move to lure Leonardo Bonucci from Juventus to Stamford Bridge.
According to a report by The Sun, Leonardo Bonucci could leave Juventus to join Chelsea this summer as Antonio Conte is ready to offer a cash sum of £48 million with Nemanja Matic to the Italian club.
Bonucci has had his share of drama with Massimiliano Allegri but the recent one seemed serious enough after the manager claimed that he did not follow his instructions as Real Madrid demolished them to successfully defend the Champions League.
Be that as it may, the Italian defender has rightfully earned a reputation as one of Europe’s strongest defenders after playing seven seasons with Juventus. Bonucci is currently valued at £60 million, but the Serie A champions are interested in signing Nemanja Matic and the offer tabled by Chelsea seems ideal.
The Serbian midfielder joined Chelsea back in 2009 and was part of a mega deal which brought David Luiz to the club from Benfica in 2011. However, he put up stunning performances in Portugal and the then Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho brought him back to Chelsea in 2014.
Matic is only in his late 20s and could potentially replace the duo of Sami Khedira and Claudio Marsichio at Juventus who are 30 and 31 respectively. They need younger power in the midfield area and Matic can be a good choice as the Italian club gears up for more action next season.
If the deal goes through and Matic leaves Chelsea, long-time Blues target Tiemoue Bakayoko can be a solid replacement if they are successful in signing him from Monaco amid interest from other clubs.
Bakayoko is only 22 years old and will be a long-term signing. His quality was evident in the deciding goal as Monaco clashed with Manchester City in the last-16 round of the Champions League.
Meanwhile, Bonucci is likely to be happy with a move to Chelsea since he will get to play under his national manager Antonio Conte. Back when Conte managed Juventus, he won three Serie-A titles along with Bonucci.
The current Chelsea manager liked operating with Bonucci in the centre of defence at Juventus and also in the Italy squad, and he is likely to do the same should Bonucci move to Chelsea this summer. However, Conte will have to face heavy competition from La Liga champions Real Madrid since Zinedine Zidane has been eyeing a move for Bonucci.
Although Real Madrid have Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, Pepe and Nacho as options, Zidane wants to bolster the defence and have back-up options as expectations will skyrocket next season after their Champions League triumph. Additionally, Pepe is being linked with a summer exit so Zidane will need to line up a replacement.
