Leonardo Bonucci is widely regarded as a Juventus legend, but his spell at Milan did damage his reputation.
It wasn’t a great spell for the Italian, and he returned to Juventus only a season later, sparking a revival at the Bianconeri.
Around that time, Bonucci was also consistently linked with a move to Manchester City. That was when Pep Guardiola was comparatively a fresh face in the Premier League.
In a recent chat with Sky Italia, the ex-Italy defender has revealed that City did indeed come calling for him back in those days. They didn’t just come forward for him once, but twice.
“So I am a fair and sincere person. [City’s approach arrived] Both in 2016 and 2017, when I went to Milan. Obviously in 2016, it didn’t materialize for one reason: because Juve would never have sold me and I was happy at that moment at Juve.”
He also went on to reveal why he joined Milan instead of City, stating that he had no intention of leaving Italy at that point.
“In 2017, [Massimiliano] Mirabelli had called me and told me ‘You have to come here, you will become captain of the team”. I didn’t want to leave Italy in those days, when I had given a basic ok to Milan.”
The former defender also disclosed that Paris Saint-Germain were also an interested party and the Citizens had also made a financial offer for him.
“Both PSG and Manchester City called me but I am like that, that’s the word and I didn’t feel like it. Had they also made a financial offer? Yes.”
Bonucci’s career did witness a revival after he left Milan and he did become a reliable player in Maurizio Sarri possession-based set up too.
This suggests that while he could have been a good addition to the City side at that point due to his technical qualities, he had other plans for himself.
Signing him would have been a short-term deal for City, who have obviously done better with younger players in recent years.
