Bonucci Rejects Manchester City

Juventus legend Leonardo Bonucci has admitted that he was on the verge of a £100 million move to Manchester City in 2016 but ultimately decided to stay with the Italian club. The Premier League outfit were prepared to make him the most expensive defender in the world at the time.

Staying True to His Heart

Bonucci explained, "Being managed by Guardiola would have been a great achievement because he would have improved me but I can't complain because I won many trophies, individual awards, and the Euros. I always let my heart dictate me, that's why I stayed at Juventus."

City Welcomes Stones Instead

After having their approach for Bonucci turned down, Manchester City opted to sign John Stones in 2016. Bonucci had nothing but praise for his former potential teammate, saying, "I struggle to find a deficiency in players like Stones, who have won what he did. He's a leader, reads the game well, has rhythms and is intelligent. He's a technical player and a nasty defender. At City, Guardiola saw a perfect role for him, to be more of a ball-playing defender. He makes mistakes but who doesn't? He's still young and has a lot of time to improve and keep winning."

New Challenge with Union Berlin

Since leaving Juventus last summer, Bonucci has been playing for Union Berlin. The German club currently sits just one point off the relegation zone in the Bundesliga.

Manchester City signed John Stones from Everton in 2016.