Leonardo Bonucci on Guardiola's Attempt to Sign Him for Manchester City
Leonardo Bonucci has revealed just how close he came to walking away from Juventus at the height of his powers – and how Pep Guardiola almost lured him to the Premier League.
Speaking to World Soccer Agency, via Sport Mediaset, the former Italy defender opened up on the intense courtship from Manchester City in 2016, when he was one of the most coveted centre-backs in Europe and a cornerstone of Juventus’ backline.
For Guardiola, Bonucci was the ideal modern defender: calm, technically gifted, and brave enough to build every attack from deep. The admiration was mutual.
“For my style of football, the coach who is best suited and most appreciates playing out from the back is Guardiola,” Bonucci said. “So he courted me for many weeks, and let me tell you, being courted by Guardiola is not like any other experience. You really do start to wobble, and it was tough taking place during the Euros, where I had to be concentrated, but even during the tournament there were some discussions.”
The timing could hardly have been more dramatic. Bonucci was leading Italy’s defence at Euro 2016, trying to shut out Europe’s elite forwards while weighing up the chance to join a manager he openly admired. Manchester City were building a new era under Guardiola, and Bonucci was high on the list to anchor that revolution.
The pull of England was real. The project was tempting. The money, the league, the coach – it all appealed.
But Turin still had his heart.
Despite City’s rise as a dominant force in England, Bonucci struggled with the thought of cutting the cord with Juventus, the club where he had grown into a world-class defender and reached a Champions League final. The emotional cost of leaving felt heavier than any contract.
“As far as I was concerned, the idea of leaving Juventus made my heart ache,” he admitted. “Some days I’d say to myself, oh wonderful, the Premier League and Guardiola, but then the day after I remembered that I had always dreamed of Juventus.”
The dilemma was not just professional. It was deeply personal.
At the time, Bonucci’s two-year-old son, Matteo, had been diagnosed with a serious illness. That battle away from the pitch reshaped his priorities and weighed heavily on every decision. Moving abroad suddenly became more than a football choice; it was a family gamble.
“After the Euros, I spoke to Juve,” Bonucci said. “Matteo’s illness and the fact I didn’t feel 100 per cent about leaving Juve, especially as the club told me that I would not be sold even if an incredible offer came in, made it a normal decision to stay. Working with Guardiola would’ve allowed me to have even greater experience, technically and tactically.”
In the end, Guardiola’s vision and the Premier League’s allure were not enough to break Bonucci’s bond with Juventus or pull him away from his family’s needs. The move that might have reshaped Manchester City’s early Guardiola era never happened – not because of tactics or money, but because one defender chose his club and his home life over a glittering new chapter.
