Both Chelsea and Man Utd have been paired with an interest in AC Milan defender Leonardo Bonucci this week, but one major obstacle reportedly stands in their way.
The 31-year-old joined the Rossoneri from Juventus last summer, but was unable to lead them back to the Champions League as they finished in sixth place in Serie A.
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Coupled with their ownership troubles this summer with Yonghong Li giving up control to hedge fund Elliott Management, as noted by the Wall Street Journal, the Italian giants are shrouded in uncertainty this summer.
In turn, that has led to reported interest from Chelsea in Bonucci, as per The Daily Mail, while the Manchester Evening News note that Man Utd are also keen on the Italian international.
Given the experience that he possesses at the highest level and his winning pedigree from his time with Juventus, Bonucci would undoubtedly be a significant signing for either club to shore things up at the back and to add leadership to the squad.
However, if either Chelsea or United are hopeful or prising him away from the San Siro, Calciomercato claim that the first thing that needs to happen is for the defensive stalwart himself to communicate to Milan that he wants to leave as the club won’t look to sell otherwise.
That would suggest that their financial position isn’t as dire as some are painting it out to be, and that they will only sell their top players if they wish to leave.
With that in mind, it remains to be seen whether or not Chelsea or United are successful in their reported pursuit, as it’s a crucial condition that is ultimately standing in the way of a possible transfer.
Nevertheless, with the ability from United’s perspective at least to offer Champions League football next season, they could make a strong pitch with a significant part of the transfer window still to go.