Leonardo Bonucci has turned down a move to Premier League giants Manchester City, according to Gianluca Di Marzio. The Citizens have been on the market for a central defender for quite some time now.
Leonardo Bonucci Turns Down Manchester City
In the Hunt
Manchester City have once again failed in their bid to sign a dominant central defender. The defending League Cup winners have been in the market for a defender ever since club legend Vincent Kompany left for Anderlecht in 2019.
A dominant centre-back is one of the top priorities for Pep Guardiola this season. City’s defensive issues were once again at the forefront after they lost nine league matches in the Premier League last season.
Manchester City’s Defensive Woes
Manchester City have been hounded by defensive errors since Kompany’s exit. Prior to last season, they had conceded just 23 goals en route to their last title. In 2019/20, though, they conceded 12 more, which resulted in losing nine matches compared to their four in the previous season.
Many of City’s defensive frailties have been due to their failure in finding a successor to Vincent Kompany. The situation was evident when Aymeric Laporte missed the early parts of last season. Another factor has been the inability of John Stones to rise up to the occasions. The presence of Nicolas Otamendi also proved to have no effect on City’s poor defensive record.
The signing of Nathan Ake showed City’s intent on rectifying the issues but the Dutchman is far from the finished product.
Attention Back to Kalidou Koulibaly Rather Than Leonardo Bonucci?
One of the many that have been on City’s book for a while has been Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly. The Citizens were on the Senegal international trail before they tried to bid for 33-year-old Bonucci. Now, with Bonucci turning down the move, Manchester City can get their focus back on Koulibaly.
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