Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is ready to break the bank in order to bring Leonardo Bonucci to Stamford Bridge with a world record bid.
Bonucci was one among the many defenders that Chelsea had tried to acquire over the summer, before eventually having to settle for Marcos Alonso and David Luiz on deadline day. The Italian was also a target for Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United and Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, with all three clubs ready to spend big money on bringing someone who is considered to be one of finest defenders to currently play the game.
However, according to MARCA, the 29-year-old didn’t even think about moving away from Turin in the summer due to his son’s health problems. His two-year-old son Matteo has undergone surgery due to health complications over the past few months and that is the reason why a transfer would have likely been the last thing on his mind.
According to the Telegraph, Chelsea boss Roman Abramovich is willing to have a second go at the defender and is willing to break the world record for transfer fees paid for a defender, a record currently held by David Luiz after his 2014 move to Paris Saint-Germain reported to be worth £50 million. The report states that the Russian billionaire is ready to bankroll a squad overhaul in order to get Antonio Conte his desired targets and will be willing to spend £60 million on Bonucci.
Chelsea’s disastrous season last year which saw them finish 10th in the League without a trophy and any European competition this season has made it even harder for Chelsea to lure top targets to the club. Spending vast sums of money will be the only way they can compete against Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City as both of them can offer European competition.
With Chelsea’s early season promise fading off post the end of the transfer window after losses against Liverpool and Arsenal, Chelsea’s defence has come under a lot of scrutiny from the fans due to their lacklustre displays. Chelsea are still heavily reliant on John Terry and his absence in the heart of the Blues’ defence has proven to be their undoing.
Ivanovic has been on a steady decline since last season, much like Gary Cahill. Whatever understanding that David Luiz and Cahill shared from the former’s first spell at Stamford Bridge seems to have disappeared and Kurt Zouma is out injured.
However, Antonio Conte’s relationship with Bonucci from their time together at Juventus and the Italian national set up can come in Chelsea’s favour as the Blues’ manager is held in high regard by the former Bari defender and has referred to him as ‘The Godfather’ to the media.
Though it is highly unlikely that Juventus will let their star defender leave anywhere during the middle of the season, a world record bid upwards of £60 million for Bonucci might just tempt the Biaconeri into considering the offers that come their way.
