Thursday, July 13, 2023 at 9:34 PM• Mart van Mourik • Last update: 21:40

Leonardo Bonucci may leave Juventus, the club announced on Thursday. The 36-year-old defender has been told that he will immediately no longer be part of the first team and will not be allowed to go to the United States, where the selection of coach Massimiliano Allegri is preparing for the new season. It is still unclear whether any clubs are already interested in the centre-back’s services.

According to Romeo Agresti, Juventus watcher on behalf GOAL, the club management and Allegri now want to continue selection and there is no longer room for Bonucci. The stopper would add too little to the current selection and Allegri wants to give up-and-coming talent the space to show themselves. Bonucci has been told that he is no longer welcome at the training sessions of the first team and that he can immediately look for another challenge. Whether he is open to a new club or perhaps puts an end to his career is still unclear.

Juve does not seem to be looking for a replacement, as the club reportedly wants to give Dean Huijsen a chance. The eighteen-year-old Dutchman recently extended his contract until mid-2027 and was included in the selection for the pre-season. 21-year-old Koni De Winter, who returns from Empoli after a rental period, also knocks on the door of the first team. In addition to Bonucci, Weston McKennie also no longer appears in the plans of la Vecchia Signora.

Bonucci still has a contract in Turin that runs until mid-2024, but he seems to have already played his last match in the shirt of Juve. In total, the stopper came to 502 official duels on behalf of Juventus. The central defender also played for AC Milan, Treviso, Bari, Pisa and Internazionale.