Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci who has been the most sought after defender in the European circuit currently has reportedly turned down an offer to move to Barcelona.
The Catalans had a very quiet season in terms of their standards and want a vast improvement in the next season. Former coach Luis Enrique decided not to extend his contract and Barcelona went on to appoint former Athletic Bilbao manager Ernesto Valverde.
Valverde has pointed towards a few areas which need to be rectified with defence being one of them. Enrique had mostly deployed a three-man defence last season with Javier Mascherano, Gerard Pique and Samuel Umtiti filling the positions. But Mascherano’s form hasn’t been that convincing while Jeremy Mathieu is unlikely to get a chance after making some costly errors last season.
So apparently a defender is the need of the hour at the Nou Camp and the Spanish giants have lodged an attempt to rope in the player. Another transfer target for Barcelona, Marquinhos signed a new contract to commit his long-term future to Paris Saint-Germain.
Bonucci’s reputation has skyrocketed in the past two seasons. Reports emerged of a possible feud between Juventus coach Max Allegri and the defender but everything seemed to have settled between the two as the Italian star is expected to feature in the pre-season of the Italian side.
Juventus are financially in a more stable position and unlike earlier, they don’t need to sell any players to afford someone. Bonucci has a contract till 2021 and if the situation remains the same, the Italian side need not worry about the player’s future.
Chelsea and Manchester City both emerged as the possible destinations for the player as Antonio Conte and Pep Guardiola have been very keen to bring the player to England but a move in the summer is unlikely.
Bonucci has played more than 300 matches for the Italian champions and has won six consecutive Serie-A titles for the Turin side. The defender has gone on to establish himself permanently in the National set up and will be one of the hottest stars to watch out for in the World Cup 2018.
Juventus would not let go of one of their most valuable assets as they will again aim for the Champions League title in the next season. Barcelona do have one of the most exciting squad but they need to get the balance of the squad right this time around.
