Manchester United Transfer News: Leonardo Bonucci Snub Amid City, Chelsea Talk

Leonardo Bonucci is reportedly set to turn down a chance to play in the Premier League in favour of a new deal with Juventus. 

According to Tuttosport (h/t Calciomercato), the defender is a target for both Manchester United and Manchester City as well as Chelsea, but Bonucci will put pen to paper on an improved €4.5 million-a-year contract to keep him in Turin.

Per Samuel Luckhurst for the Daily Mirror, Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho is hoping to sign a second centre-back this summer following the capture of Eric Bailly, with the Italian identified as the man with the requisite skills and experience to improve the team.

Bonucci is an exceptional defender, with both Juventus and Italy reaping the rewards of playing him alongside Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli.

The 29-year-old is strong in the air and reads the game well, often removing danger before it begins, and is technically excellent.

Bonucci excels at carrying the ball out from the back, and his distribution is terrific. As OptaPaolo revealed, his ability to pick out team-mates with long balls is almost unrivalled:

BT Sport's James Horncastle lavished praise on him during UEFA Euro 2016 following a superb example of his passing range:

While both Bailly and Chris Smalling should be able to form a solid partnership, and Daley Blind fared remarkably well at centre-back last year, Bonucci would be an outstanding buy for United or their rivals—he's arguably better than any of the central defenders currently at the three clubs.

Juve have Medhi Benatia and Daniele Rugani waiting in the wings and so could cope with his loss, but given Barzagli is 35 and Chiellini soon to be 32, Bonucci is perhaps the most valuable of their three first-choice centre-backs.

Further, as GianlucaDiMarzio's David Amoyal noted, United's concurrent pursuit of Paul Pogba will make the Bianconeri even more reluctant to part with one of their top stars:

The Old Lady have already lost Alvaro Morata this summer and could well lose Pogba, so it seems highly unlikely they'll part with another of their most important players.

Equally, securing his long-term future at the club and rewarding his form with a new deal will prove to be some excellent business for the Italian champions.