James Horncastle responds to reports Chelsea want top Serie A defender
The Serie A expert James Horncastle says Juventus would be loathe to lose Chelsea target Leonardo Bonucci
James Horncastle has hinted that Juventus would be reluctant to see Leonardo Bonucci leave for Chelsea this summer.
The Italian defender has been heavily linked with a switch to the Premier League champions in the summer transfer window.
Bonucci was part of Antonio Conte’s dominant Juventus side that won three successive Serie A titles before the manager took over the reins of the Italian national team.
In fact, Conte was responsible for bringing the defender to Turin from Bari in 2011.
The Chelsea boss is thought to be keen to sign a centre-half in the summer transfer window following the departure of John Terry.
Speaking to The Guardian’s Football Weekly podcast about the possibility of Chelsea signing Bonucci this summer, Serie A expert Horncastle said:
“If you look at the season, there was a bust up between him and Allegri which led to Bonucci being dropped.
“He was made to sit in the stands for the away leg at Porto. There has been reports in the last few days of a bust up at half-time in the Champions League final when Bonucci had a big go at Dybala.
“He has come out and say this is rubbish. He did sign a new contract this year, which made him a high earner.
“He had offers from Chelsea and Man City last year, he turned those down because he wants to finish his career at Juventus. Of the three big defenders they’ve got, he is the youngest. He is the hardest to replace.”
Chelsea won the Premier League title with two games to spare last season after finishing seven points clear of their closest rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
The Blues lost 2-1 to bitter rivals Arsenal in the FA Cup final at Wembley.
