Football
AC Milan agree deal with Juventus for Leonardo Bonucci
AC Milan have agreed a deal with Juventus to sign Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci for a reported 40m euros (£35.1m).
Bonucci, 30, spent Friday in talks with Milan and will sign a five-year deal subject to passing a medical.
He has won six league titles in seven years with Juve, and signed a contract extension until 2021 last December.
The move comes weeks after Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri said Bonucci would be “leader of the dressing room”.
👋🏻 @bonucci_leo19 at #CasaMilan pic.twitter.com/p4T1CufZK7
— AC Milan (@acmilan) July 14, 2017
An official statement on the website of AC Milan read, “AC Milan have reached an agreement with Juventus FC for the permanent transfer of Leonardo Bonucci, subject to medical completion.”
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“Should the player pass the medical examination in the next few days, he will join the Club penning a five-year contract,” the statement read.
— AC Milan (@acmilan) July 14, 2017
Bonucci began his career with Inter in 2005, he spent the next few seasons on loan at Treviso and Pisa, before moving to Bari in 2009.
His technique, ball-playing ability and defensive performances alongside fellow Italian centre-back Andrea Ranocchia earned him a move to Juventus the following season.
At Juventus, he later became a key member of the club’s three-man defensive line, alongside Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli, establishing himself as one of the best defenders in world football.
He went on to win six consecutive Serie A titles with the team between 2012 and 2017.
At international level, Bonucci has represented Italy at two FIFA World Cups (2010 and 2014), two European Championships (2012 and 2016), and a FIFA Confederations Cup (2013), winning a runners-up medal at Euro 2012, and a third-place medal at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.
Bonucci has also won several individual honours for his performances: he was named to the UEFA Europa League Squad of the season during the 2013–14 season, and is a two-time member of the Serie A Team of the Year; he was named the Serie A Footballer of the Year in 2016, and was also included in the UEFA Team of the Year in the same season.