What’s the story?
Barcelona are favourites to sign Leonardo Bonucci from Juventus according to Tuttosport (via Daily Star). The Catalan side are keen on signing a centre-back and have set sights on the Italian.
Bonucci is said to be interested a move to Barcelona but knows that he will have to force his way as Juventus will not be interested in selling him. The Italian is also a target for Real Madrid and Chelsea.
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The Italian defender was close to joining Chelsea last summer but due to an illness picked up by his son, he decided not to move. He then guided Juventus to a domestic double and also took them to the Champions League final.
The heart of the matter
Tuttosport, a Turin-based newspaper, are highly reliable and have been the first to report several rumours related to Juventus. The Italian publication broke the news last night about Barcelona being the new front-runners in the race for Bonucci's signature.
Barcelona already have Gerard Pique, Javier Mascherano, Samuel Umtiti and Marlon in the squad to play in te centre-back role but Ernesto Valverde still wants to sign a new defender. Mascherano's future at the club is reportedly in doubt as the manager does not see him fit in his system.
Juventus have already released Dani Alves, and reports suggest that Alex Sandro is also on the verge of joining Chelsea. The solid backline they had last season will be shattered if Bonucci also makes a move away.
Chelsea's interest in Bonucci seems to have gone away. The Blues' lined up alternatives such as Southampton's Virgil van Dijk and AS Roma's Antonio Rudiger. The latter is said to be on his way to London for his medical today.
What’s next?
Juventus slapped a €70m price tag on the defender to scare off the clubs circling in on him. However, Barcelona are not willing to back-out.
The Catalan side are reportedly ready to match the Turin side's asking price. The 30-year-old will still have to hand in a transfer request if he wants to join the La Liga giants.
Author’s Take
Bonucci was one of the best defenders last season, if not the best. However, paying €70 million for a 30-year-old isn’t ideal at all.
He will be playing on top of his game for 2-3 seasons more, and then he won't be able to perform the same way. Barcelona should opt on spending that money on getting a defender who's around 26 or 27 years old so that they are set at the back for a long time.
