Chelsea and Manchester City to battle it out for the services of the Italian stalwart

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According to a report by Goal, Leonardo Bonucci is already looking for a way out of AC Milan, just a few months after making his shock summer move from Juventus. The Italian defender could soon be off to England, with Chelsea and Manchester City set to go head-to-head in his pursuit. Bonucci enjoyed several illustrious years with Juventus, having been a pivotal figure at the back for the Bianconeri as they dominated Italian football in the last half-a decade. This past summer, he called time on his spell in Turin, and made the shock switch to AC Milan in a €40 million deal.

The start to life at San Siro has hardly been a bright one, though. The Bianconeri invested huge sums of money to create a squad capable of challenging for all the major trophies in Italy and Europe, but are languishing in 8th place on the Serie A table, with little hopes of winning the Serie A title. With Milan making hard work of shrugging off their struggles of recent seasons, there are fears that some of their best players may already be staring at the exit doors, even though club officials have maintained a strong stance that they will not sell in January. As per the report though, Bonucci is one such player who already wants to leave Milan. And interest in the player still remains high, with Chelsea and Manchester City two clubs that have been targeting him for well over a year now. At Chelsea, Antonio Conte has been trying hard to reunite with Bonucci, having previously managed him at Juventus and Italy. The Blues eventually signed Antonio Rudiger after failing to secure the Italian’s services. But, with David Luiz’s exit from Stamford Bridge reportedly nigh, Chelsea have reignited their interest in Bonucci. The Premier League champions won’t be alone in pursuit of Bonucci though, with current league leaders Manchester City providing stiff competition. Pep Guardiola has publicly admitted that his side would be making attempts to sign a defender in the winter transfer window, with John Stones’ long-term injury leaving him in a spot of bother.

With Vincent Kompany no longer a spring chicken following a spate of injuries, there is an urgent need to bolster the Manchester City manager’s central defensive options, and Bonucci is one player who has been on his radar pretty much since he arrived in the Premier League. Both clubs will have to loosen their purse strings slightly to land Bonucci though, with Milan unlikely to let him leave for anything less than €40 million. It is far more likely that the player will leave next summer instead of January, although it remains to be seen if either club can lure him into making a mid-season switch.