Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci 'called Manchester City about summer move'

Leonardo Bonucci scores during the game between Juventus and Hellas Verona on January 6, 2016
© AFP
Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano says that Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci called the club in the summer about a potential transfer.

Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano has claimed that Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci called the club about a potential transfer in the summer.

The Italy international was linked with the two-time Premier League champions during the most recent transfer window, while Chelsea are rumoured to be considering a big-money bid for the defender in January.

Soriano has now claimed that Bonucci tried to instigate a switch to the Etihad Stadium due to his desire to play under manager Pep Guardiola, but Juventus managed to keep hold of their man.

"At the moment there are a lot of players that want to play under Pep," Soriano told RAC1. "The Italian central defender Bonucci wants to play for him and he called us.

"I called the Juventus sporting director [Fabio Paratici] and he told me they didn't want to sell. There ended the story."

Bonucci is believed to have begun talks with Juve regarding a new contract.

Juventus' defender Leonardo Bonucci celebrates after scoring during the Italian Serie A football match Juventus vs Lazio at 'Juventus Stadium' in Turin on April 18, 2015
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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City96212091120
2Arsenal96211991020
3Liverpool96212011920
4Chelsea96121991019
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs9540134919
6Everton9432138515
7Manchester UnitedMan Utd94231312114
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9Watford93331313012
10Bournemouth93331212012
11Crystal Palace93241212011
12Leicester CityLeicester93241115-411
13West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom92431010010
14Burnley9315813-510
15West Ham UnitedWest Ham93151017-710
16Stoke CityStoke9234916-79
17Middlesbrough9144711-47
18Hull City9216822-147
19Swansea CitySwansea9126815-75
20Sunderland9027616-102