Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci has revealed how he snubbed Real Madrid for a return to the Old Lady at the start of the season.

The Italian international player spoke about the Real Madrid interest during his pre-match thoughts ahead of the all-important Champions League last 16 first leg clash with Spanish La Liga giants Atletico Madrid.

Leonardo Bonucci and Juventus travel to the new Wanda Metropolitano to take on hosts Atletico Madrid in the first leg clash of their tie in Europe’s premier Cup competition.

Bonucci has previously been linked with clubs like Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United.

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According to him, the lure of a return to Juventus was too good to resist despite the fact that the Los Merengues were keen on signing him.

Leonardo Bonucci controversially left the Old Lady in the summer of 2017 after a major fallout with manager Maximiliano Allegri.

The Italian centre back signed for Serie A rivals AC Milan after his problems with Allegri only for him to return to the Juventus Stadium after one season.

Juventus had signed Moroccan international player Mehdi Benatia as his direct replacement.

Leonardo Bonucci returned to the Italian Serie A Champions at the start of this season and he has helped the team to the top of the Italian Serie A table.

The English Premier League outfit Chelsea are going through a difficult time as they are failing to win games after suffering successive defeats with the latest against Man United in the FA Cup.

The West London outfit boss Maurizio Sarri is now unsettled at Stamford Bridge as he now has his job is under doubt with names already mentioned as a replacement.

However, Spanish international Pedro has given the advice that the Blues team can only return to winning ways if they remain calm and not be carried away by the pressure.

He stressed that the secret behind returning to winning ways is to be calm, train hard with the focus on the second leg of the Europa League tie against Malmo on Thursday.

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Meanwhile, the Blues now face the risk of losing out of the Champion League again next season should the currently performance persist as they are now sixth in the Premier League table with a top four finish looking unlikely.

The West London boss has stated that he is not bothered about the pressure coming from the fans as he is only focused on ensuring that his players give a better performance and win more games.

Chelsea now have the Europa League and Carabao Cup as their only hope for a trophy this season.

Spanish La Liga giants Real Madrid have slapped a €150m asking price on Gareth Bale ahead of this summer’s transfer window.

This is according to the publication from French news portal Le 10 Sport.

It was revealed that the Los Merengues are ready to let Gareth Bale leave the club in the summer but will demand €120m-€150m for him.

Welsh international Bale has been linked with major Premier League sides like Chelsea and Manchester United.

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The 29-year-old had earlier joined Real Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2013 after a stellar season for the North London club.

Real Madrid paid a then world-record fee of €100m to secure his transfer from Tottenham Hotspur and their asking price for him represents a significant profit on him.

It remains to be seen whether the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United would be willing to pay as much as €120m to €150m for a player who turns 30 in the summer.

Real Madrid are open to his sale after Gareth Bale failed to step up despite the exit of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Bale has struggled to stay fit this season just like what was obtainable with his previous campaigns since he became a Real Madrid player.

Everton boss Marco Silva has Kurt Zouma for his performance at the club which has helped improve the team since his arrival.

Kurt Zouma is a Chelsea player who is on loan at the Toffees after he was unable to secure a regular playing time under manager Maurizio Sarri at the Stamford Bridge.

The French international defender has been consistent in his delivery which has made the Merseyside club consider shaving his signature on a permanent deal after the one-year deal is over.

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The Everton boss is no doubt a big fan of Kurt Zouma after claiming to be pleased with his performance. Marco Silva, therefore, expressed delight to have taken the big decision to land the star player from the West London outfit on the last day of the market for a loan deal.

Marco Silva stated that Kurt Zouma has not only given a quality performance but he fits into the team as well as he always helps to recover quickly when he loses the ball.

However, the Everton boss stated that Kurt Zouma still has a lot to improve upon as he has got the quality to become a world-class player, noting that it will take time and more training to achieve that.

AS Roma midfielder Steven N’Zonzi is a transfer target for North London giants Arsenal ahead of this summer’s transfer window according to the publication from Italian media outlet Calciomercato.

It was revealed that Arsenal have made AS Roma sporting director Monchi their top target for the same role though former club winger Marc Overmars has also been linked with the job.

Monchi played a big role in the transfer of N’Zonzi from Spanish La Liga club Sevilla to AS Roma after the player followed Monchi from Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium to the Stadio Olimpico.

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Steven N’Zonzi could follow Monchi from AS Roma to Arsenal if the club’s sporting director leaves the Champions League campaigners for the Gunners this summer.

Arsenal manager Steven N’Zonzi is a big fan of the French World Cup winner.

Both parties were part of the Sevilla team that won the Europa League while Monchi was the sporting director at the Andalusian outfit.

Arsenal manager Unai Emery wants to strengthen his midfield in the summer and Steven N’Zonzi could be an experienced option for him.

His former teammate Ever Banega has also been linked with a move to Arsenal though the transfer priority for the Gunners is the addition of a new centre back and a winger.

Arsenal manager Unai Emery could sell striker Alexandre Lacazette in the summer according to the publication from Football London.

This is in a bid to raise funds for an overhaul of the Gunners squad ahead of next season.

The latest development won’t be music to the ears for Arsenal faithfuls who would want Lacazette to continue his on and off the field bromance with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Alexandre Lacazette is 27 and he would command a big transfer fee that would be ploughed back into the Arsenal team.

It was revealed that Unai Emery is open to the idea of selling the French international player if he gets a very good offer for him.

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Lacazette became an Arsenal player when he joined from French Ligue 1 giants Lyon at the start of last season for a then club-record fee of £52m.

His transfer has been eclipsed by the deal that saw Aubameyang move from Borussia Dortmund to Arsenal at the start of last year.

Alexandre Lacazette has scored 12 goals in 33 appearances for the Gunners this season despite the fact that Unai Emery has preferred Aubameyang in some Arsenal games this season.

He started the season on the bench before working his way back into the Arsenal XI.

Arsenal tried to sign Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco during the recently ended winter transfer window but the Gunners were unable to pull off a transfer for him.

It was revealed that Arsenal wanted to sign the 25-year-old on loan with the option to sign him on a full-time basis at the end of the proposed loan contract.

Carrasco plays his club football for Chinese Super League club Dalian Yifang having joined the team from Spanish La Liga giants Atletico Madrid in February 2018.

Federico Pastorello has revealed why the move didn’t happen.

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Pastorello was the intermediary between Dalian Yifang and interested clubs like Arsenal.

Seven-time European champions AC Milan were also keen on a loan transfer for the Belgian international player.

Pastorello told French media outlet RMC Sport that the move didn’t happen because of the Chinese football culture.

He further revealed that Chinese football administrators are very difficult to deal with before adding that the player’s agent will give him advice on his next move in the summer.

Carrasco is said to be fed up with life in China and that fuelled his desire to return to European football.

Federico Pastorello also confirmed that Italian Serie A giants Inter Milan also enquired about Carrasco before the end of last month’s transfer window.

Bayern Munich midfielder James Rodriguez has hinted that he could return to Real Madrid in the summer as the debate over his long-term future continues.

The 27-year-old Colombian international playmaker is on loan at German Bundesliga Champions Bayern Munich from Real Madrid but that didn’t stop him from being linked to clubs like Juventus and Arsenal last month.

James Rodriguez was touted as a loan addition for clubs like Italian Serie A champions Juventus and North London giants Arsenal during the winter transfer window in January.

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Bayern Munich paid £11m for his two-year loan spell which runs down at the end of this season.

The Bavarian giants signed him at the start of last season and they have the option to sign him for £37m this summer.

While fielding questions over his future, James Rodriguez told Cadena SER’s El Larguero how he still has people that love him in Real Madrid before adding that his future will be clearer in the summer.

James Rodriguez has not had the Real Madrid envisaged when he sealed a big money move to the Los Merengues in 2014 on the back of a fantastic tournament in Brazil as his Colombia side reached the quarterfinals of the tournament before they were beaten the Brazilians.

Spanish La Liga giants Barcelona have reportedly contacted the representatives of Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar as the Catalans try to secure his transfer at the expense of other interested parties like Arsenal.

Houssem has been an important player for Lyon since he was promoted into the first team at the club and his form has attracted several clubs in Europe.

According to L’Equipe which revealed that Barcelona have already opened transfer talks with the agent of the player and that Arsenal need to move fast if they want to sign him.

The Gunners are looking for a midfield replacement for the outgoing Aaron Ramsey who’s expected to join Italian champions Juventus this summer.

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The Welshman has already signed a pre-contract agreement with the Old Lady.

He will join the Italians on a four-year deal worth at least £400,000 before tax.

Ramsey is the longest serving player at Arsenal after 11 years at the club since the £5m transfer from Welsh side Cardiff City.

Arsenal have made a new centre back signing and a new winger signing top priority for this summer’s transfer window and they are also expected to sign a replacement for Juventus-bound Ramsey.

Aside Houssem Aouar, Sevilla midfielder Ever Banega is also a transfer target for Arsenal in their quest to replace Ramsey this summer.

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has confessed that he was totally wrong in his criticism of Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba earlier this season following his performance at the Stamford Bridge against Chelsea in the FA Cup.

The former Juventus star had a very slow start of the season but it has been established that it was a big fault of the former boss Jose Mourinho because of the rift between them both. This is after the French man transformed with the sack of the Portuguese boss.

Paul Pogba is now doing well under the new interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and has pointed it to the fact that the former United player gives the players freedom and also have a personal relationship with them.

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This fact has now been admitted by the Reds former player who says Paul Pogba has now revealed his true potential because he plays under a manager who is not focused on defending.

However, the World Cup winner is not the only one who is transformed under the new interim manager as the whole team now play differently and that has been evident in their results.

United have not returned back to winning ways, with just a defeat under the new manager.