Bonucci: 'If I wanted to leave Juve...'

By Football Italia staff

Leonardo Bonucci confirms “if I wanted to leave Juventus, I would’ve pushed to do it last year, as I had important offers over the summer.”

The centre-back was on target today in a 1-1 draw with Udinese after being out-muscled by Duvan Zapata for the opener.

“I tried to steer him to the wing and make the angle as difficult as possible for him, but Zapata was lucky that the shot went in anyway after Gigi Buffon’s deflection,” Bonucci told Sky Sport Italia and Mediaset Premium.

“Today we lowered the intensity level and consequently the ball didn’t move around as quickly as usual, so it has to serve as a lesson to us. Despite it all, we still increased our lead to eight points and that is important.

“I live for the victory, I can’t help myself. Even if the result is ultimately positive, I have regrets that we didn’t give 100 per cent, especially in the first half. I can’t stand these slip-ups.”

Bonucci has been unstoppable since returning to the squad, as he was frozen out for the Champions League clash with Porto due to a touchline row with Coach Max Allegri.

Nonetheless, transfer rumours continue to circulate around Antonio Conte’s Chelsea and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

“It’s all the same as before, I continue to fight for Juve and when needed can contribute with a goal. I am owned by the club, I have a contract with Juve to 2021 and feel important for the team, so I don’t see why there has to be a problem.

“If I wanted to leave Juventus, I would’ve pushed to do it last year, as I had important offers over the summer and had already started studying English.

“I am important to the team, but as we saw in Porto, nobody is indispensable. Nobody must feel comfortable here, as we need to give 100 per cent in every training session to earn our place.

“I’d like to be a Coach in future and have Allegri’s problems of choosing between all these strong defenders.”

Watch Serie A live in the UK on Premier Sports for just £9.99 per month including live LaLiga, Eredivisie, Scottish Cup Football and more. Visit: https://www.premiersports.com/subscribenow