Manchester City are reportedly edging closer to convincing both Juventus and Leonardo Bonucci to agree to a €60m switch this summer.
The Italian international is currently on holiday after guiding Italy to the quarter-finals of Euro 2016, and is expected to report back to pre-season training in Turin next week.
However, his future with the Bianconeri has been put in doubt with speculation continuing to link him with a move to Manchester this summer.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, City are ready to offer ‘frightening’ figures, with a €60m transfer fee, coupled with wages of €8m per season over five years, with Bonucci currently earning €3.7m per year at Juve.
The Serie A champions are willing to offer him more in a bid to tie down his long-term future, but they simply can’t compete financially with City’s offer and in turn that could sway Bonucci towards England as Gazzetta suggest that it’s moving closer to becoming a reality.
Furthermore, the opportunity to work with Pep Guardiola at a club looking to dominate both in the Premier League and in Europe, coupled with the other international players at the club and the other off-the-field opportunities that would come with a move, it is difficult to see Bonucci being able to say no.
From Juve’s perspective, it would be a major loss to see the 29-year-old leave. On one hand it could be argued that €60m for a player nearing the age of 30 is a great deal and will give them financial power to go out and strengthen their squad.
However, Bonucci’s presence at the heart of their defence is key to their success, and his departure would arguably leave a void that can’t be filled.
Nevertheless, it’s no surprise that Guardiola is willing to splash out on the Italian international, as ultimately he is everything that he looks for in a central defender.
From being defensively solid, the former Bari ace is more than comfortable on the ball, can step out from the back and begin attacks for his team.
As seen at Barcelona and Bayern Munich previously, this is an important aspect of Guardiola’s teams, and provided Vincent Kompany is able to stay fit, he could form a formidable partnership with the Italian next season if a deal is reached.