The repercussions of AC Milan being banned from the Europa League are continuing with rumours that their captain Leonardo Bonucci could be on his way out of the club. PSG and Chelsea are believed to be ready to table bids for the player.
Last week saw the Italian team handed a ban from this year’s Europa League after being found guilty of breaching financial fair play restrictions. Under their new Chinese owners, the Serie A team had spent over 200m euros on new players. Those signings didn’t put them in title contention, but they did finish sixth to qualify for the Europa League but won’t be playing unless their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport is successful.
Milan in Trouble
With the prospect of no European football, their problems may now escalate with players having to be sold to ensure no further bans occur. One player who it seems is becoming very popular is their captain Leonardo Bonucci who signed for AC Milan from Juventus last season. This was following the success of six Serie A titles with his former side.
Manchester United had been linked with Bonucci but then again if you read enough stories, they’ve been linked with just about every player in the world. It now appears that if Bonucci does leave AC Milan after just one season, he could be on his way to either Chelsea or PSG.
A Great Player to Sign
Bonucci has tons of experience having played 80 times for the Italian national team. He used to be a midfielder at one time and is known for his superb technique and passing range. He’s excellent at launching attacks from the back with long passes, reads the game and marks opponents well, he is excellent in the air and a great tackler. It’s easy to see why if he does become available, there will be plenty of teams eager to acquire his services.
PSG probably know only too well about the problems of financial fair play as they continue their bid to reach the very top level of European football. Winning the Champions League has still eluded them even with Neymar and Mbappe on their side. They lost to Real Madrid last season and will again this summer be looking to make the signings that will make them the number one team in Europe. An experienced defender from Italy would certainly help them in their quest.
New Era at Chelsea
The situation at Chelsea is an interesting one of course, having just sacked Antonio Conte as their manager. It’s believed that one Italian manager will be replaced by another in Maurizio Sarri. He is likely to want to bring some Italian players to Stamford Bridge and it appears Bonucci would fit the bill to tighten up Chelsea’s defence. Other Serie A players rumoured to be making a move to Chelsea include Jorginho, Gonzalo Higuain and Daniele Rugani.
Chelsea made a poor defence of their Premier League title last season and made little impact in the Champions League losing to Barcelona in the last sixteen. They may have won the FA Cup but a managerial change and a busy summer in the transfer market was inevitable.
The chase looks to be on then and it’ll be interesting to see just who does get their hands on this talented Italian defender.