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Real Madrid Transfer News: Leonardo Bonucci Rumours Dismissed by AC Milan
November 27, 2017
AC Milan director Massimiliano Mirabelli has dismissed speculation linking Leonardo Bonucci with an exit amid links to Real Madrid.
The Italy international arrived at the San Siro from Juventus accompanied by a great fanfare in the summer, but he’s struggled to find his best form in the red and black of his new club. Rumours have surfaced since, although Mirabelli told Premium Sport (h/t Albert Garcia of Sport) there’s no way the centre-back will be going anywhere.
"We know there will always be interest in him, but we have started a project, and we want him to continue with us," he said.
As noted by Garcia, Madrid are said to be keen to strengthen their squad after an inconsistent start to the campaign. They trail Barcelona by eight points in La Liga.
Defence is said to be one area they’re wanting to bolster, and Bonucci, rated by many as the finest defender in world football during his time at Juventus, would be an eye-catching acquisition.
While Bonucci was drafted in and made skipper at Milan immediately, things have not gone well for him or the team. Bleacher Report UK suggested earlier in the campaign that the 30-year-old may have regretted his decision to depart:
The centre-back has had some torrid moments already in a Rossoneri jersey. In the recent UEFA Europa League match against Austria Vienna, he failed to clear a routine shot off the goal line. Additionally, the centre-back was sent off earlier in the campaign during a 0-0 draw against Genoa.
As we can see here courtesy of WhoScored.com, ahead of the recent Milan derby, the numbers behind Bonucci’s displays were a long way down on some of his domestic rivals:
Milan’s form has been so underwhelming that the club took the decision to dismiss Vincenzo Montella as manager on Monday and replace him with Gennaro Gattuso, per their official Twitter account.
Indeed, there have been contributing factors to Bonucci’s form at Milan, as the team has clear structural problems and a clutch of new players have shown no cohesion with one another. And it’s worth remembering how imperious he was in a settled Juventus side.
At the heart of a back three, the Italian would defend with aggression and intelligence, while he also distributed the ball with tremendous grace.
Real Madrid do have quality centre-backs on their books already in the form of Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane, while Nacho and Jesus Vallejo are both fine deputies. But if the opportunity were there to bring in a player of Bonucci’s pedigree, then Los Blancos would surely jump at it.
It’d be a massive surprise if Milan opted to let him leave so soon, though. The club pulled off a huge coup bringing him in in the summer and will be confident that as the team improves, so will his level.