Juventus centre-back Leonardo Bonucci has stated that he opted against moving to the Premier League in the summer because of his son’s poor health.
The Italian defender is considered to be one of the best centre-backs in Europe. His stellar performances for Juventus in the Serie A and the Champions League piqued the interest of Premier League giants Manchester United and Chelsea. Both sides were keen on signing the 29-year-old, but he has recently explained why he snubbed their offers and decided to stay put in Turin.
According to Marca, the Juve centre-back had second thoughts on moving away from Italy due to the health of his son Matteo Bonucci. The two-year-old has suffered serious health problems of late and has even had to undergo surgery in recent months. Due to his adverse health condition, his father turned down all big money moves that came his way.
United boss Jose Mourinho was reportedly keen on the centre-back and had kept a close eye on him throughout the course of the European Championships in France. He also offered a colossal €50 million for the services of the Italian centre-back, but to no avail.
Chelsea, too, were in the hunt for Bonucci ever since Italy were knocked out of the competition. Azzurri head-coach Antonio Conte took up the reins at Stamford Bridge and was intent on signing a specialist ball-playing defender to fit into his 3-4-3 system.
Leonardo Bonucci: Only two outfielders have completed more long passes in the last four Serie A seasons than Bonucci (852)
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) July 19, 2016
Reports had also emerged of the player agreeing a deal with Chelsea, but the defender had his heart set on continuing at Juventus. Manchester City too, offered the player a massive salary hike, but the player duly turned it down.
While the Blues have once again rekindled their interest in the player, it remains to be seen how long the Italian can resist the temptation of a reunion with former manager Antonio Conte.
