Chelsea Transfer News: Leonardo Bonucci World-Record Bid in January, Top Rumours

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is reportedly ready to fund a world-record bid for a defender in an attempt to lure Leonardo Bonucci away from Juventus in January.

According to Matt Law in the Daily Telegraph, Bonucci is Blues manager Antonio Conte's "dream signing," and Abramovich has told the Italian he will sanction a bid of more than £60 million for the centre-back—the £50 million Paris Saint-Germain paid Chelsea for David Luiz in 2014 remains a world-record amount for a defender.

Along with Manchester City, Chelsea went after Bonucci in the summer as they looked to bolster their weak defence, while also pursuing Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly, per Darren Lewis in the Mirror.

They failed to sign either player and had to settle for buying back Luiz for £34 million and bagging left-back Marcos Alonso from Fiorentina to patch up their creaking back line.

Chelsea have struggled again defensively this season and continue to be overreliant on their sidelined captain, the 35-year-old John Terry, as recently discussed by a Bleacher Report panel:

There are problems elsewhere in the Chelsea side—their strike department remains limited—but adding quality to the defence is the priority.

Bonucci previously worked under Conte at Juventus and with Italy, so they already have a close relationship.

Meanwhile, the 29-year-old is arguably the most complete centre-back in world football. He is both a phenomenal defender and leader, and his passing range is exemplary.

He would be the ideal successor to Terry as the commander of the Chelsea defence, and he would add composure and quality that is severely lacking at Stamford Bridge.

However, even with Abramovich prepared to fund a huge bid for Bonucci, Chelsea face many obstacles in their attempts to sign him.

Most significant is the fact Juventus do not want to sell him. He is also unlikely to want to depart the Old Lady.

Along with Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini, Bonucci is part of probably the best defensive unit in the world, a trio that gives Juve a terrific chance of going all the way in the UEFA Champions League this season—not to mention claim another Scudetto this term, which would be the Bianconeri's sixth in a row.

Conversely, Chelsea still look some way off becoming Premier League title challengers once again and are not in the Champions League, having finished 10th in English top flight last term.

Per Law, another potential problem for Chelsea is if they bid for Bonucci in January, City may move in with a rival offer.

James Robson of the Manchester Evening News reported that Chelsea's interest "could spark a tug of war" between Chelsea and City for Bonucci—according to the piece, City manager Pep Guardiola is "a big admirer" of the defender and the Italian is one of his "favourite players ever."

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Law's report added that Chelsea are not putting all their eggs in one basket defensively and are also monitoring Burnley’s £25 million-rated Michael Keane.

The 23-year-old centre-back has enjoyed an impressive start to the 2016-17 Premier League season and recently earned a deserved first call-up to the England squad, per football commentator Guy Mowbray:

Keane would be an excellent long-term purchase for the Blues but, unlike Bonucci, he would not necessarily solve all of their glaring issues at the back.