Newcastle United have not held any talks with Italy and Juventus veteran Leonardo Bonucci.
Eddie Howe and his coaching staff will certainly respect the 36-year-old given his glittering career but there have been no discussions on the 136-times capped Italy international. The centre-back is due to retire at the end of the season and there have been talks with Juve over him ending his time in Turin early.
But Chronicle Live has been told that no discussions took place with Newcastle and understandably the Magpies are looking at a younger centre-back to complement what they already have. There is no doubt that Howe and his backroom team are considering another defensive star for next season.
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A spokesperson for World Soccer Agency said today: "As for Leonardo Bonucci and a possible transfer to Newcastle, we are not aware of anything."
The Italian legend should be well known to English football fans after scoring the equaliser in the Euro 2020 final before going on to score a penalty in the winning shoot-out and picking up the man of the match award at Wembley on a night of heartache for the Three Lions.
Bonnuci himself has admitted he into his last year of action he said: "When I stop playing next year, it will be the end of a defensive era, a way of defending Italian style. I hope a lot of future defenders will see us four former goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and ex-defenders Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli, all now retired as idols."
Newcastle have Fabian Schar and Jamaal Lascelles entering the last 12 months of their current deals and are believed to be looking at right-sided centre-backs.
