Leonardo Bonucci has said that he wants to honour his contract at Juventus, dealing Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester City a huge blow in his chase.
Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester City look set to be dealt a huge blow in their chase for Leonardo Bonucci, after the centre-back insisted that he is not interested in moving away from Juventus any time soon.
As reported by Daily Mail, Bonucci said in the aftermath of Juventus’ 1-1 draw at Udinese – where he scored the vital equaliser for the Bianconeri – that he intends to honour his contract with the Italian champions. He said: “I am owned by Juventus and they will be the ones who decide if they want to keep me or not.
“I hope to honour my contract at Juventus that’s for sure. I met Allegri and we clarified things and I accepted his decision. I will take the team out for dinner soon as this is now in the past. We have a great group and we are now even stronger than before.”
Bonucci had appeared to be on the edge at Juventus after a bust-up with coach Massimiliano Allegri last month. He was subsequently dropped for the Bianconeri’s squad to face Porto in the Champions League but has since reclaimed his place at the heart of the Juventus defence.
However, widespread reports claimed that the 29-year-old was set to depart from the Juventus Stadium in the summer. That had given a spring in the step of his long-time admirers Chelsea and Manchester City, who were later joined by Real Madrid in Bonucci’s pursuit.
The three clubs are eager to add a centre-back in the summer, with Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane already looking for replacements for Pepe, who is all set to leave the club at the end of the season. With Raphael Varane proving to be inconsistent this season, a more formidable partner for Sergio Ramos is believed to be high on Zidane’s wish list.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are in a more comfortable position as far as their defensive situation is concerned. But with John Terry’s Chelsea career set to end, and with just the inexperienced duo of Kurt Zouma and Nathan Ake to choose from beyond the first choice defenders, Conte is keen to add to his options in the summer.
Manchester City look the most desperate of the three for a centre-back, due to their struggles at the back all season, with none of the central defenders managing to make a consistent impact all through the season.
However, Bonucci has put the ball in Juventus’ court, who themselves are not interested in selling their prized asset in the summer, as per reports. This means the three clubs will now have to set their sights elsewhere in search of a central defensive reinforcement with Bonucci set to stay with Juventus.
