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.”
“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.
