Barcelona offer €75 M plus bonuses to hijack Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus, Pep Guardiola phones Juventus to enquire over a star defender and more, 5 July 2019
Hello and welcome to the Serie A news and rumours of the day! As usual, there are many exciting stories from the rumour mill to read. So, let's take a look at the top stories of the day surrounding the Italian league.
Pep Guardiola calls for Leonardo Bonucci at Manchester City
The Old Lady have been very close to Matthijs de Ligt recently. The 19-year-old had an impressive spell with Ajax last season, starting all of Ajax's Champions League and Eredivisie matches. Numerous European top clubs have gathered interest for the starlet, but Juventus are just an inch from a total agreement with the player.
De Ligt's arrival, however, would impact Leonardo Bonnuci's future at the Serie A outfit. Bonnuci was one of Massimiliano Allegri's favourites last season, amassing 27 appearances as a starter. Juventus bought him on a swap deal involving Mattia Caldara, who joined AC Milan as a result of the transfer.
However, Bonucci was less than impressive last season, as he failed to win the Champions League with Juventus. De Ligt, on the other hand, performed better than his Juventus counterpart and led Ajax to the semi-final. Manchester City and PSG have put an interest for the Italian defender.
According to a report, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola even called Juventus to discuss the future of the 32-year-old. The Premier League champion lost former captain Vincent Kompany after the Belgian decided to become player-manager of Anderlecht. Thus, Bonucci could serve as a suitable replacement for the 33-year-old.
Maurizio Sarri joined Juventus after the 60-year-old won the Europa League with Chelsea. Guardiola had been closely linked with Juventus's managerial job before Sarri's appointment. However, the Spaniard has repeatedly insisted that he will stay at Manchester City.