AC Milan and Juventus have opened discussions regarding a swap deal with Serie A stars Leonardo Bonucci and Gonzalo Higuain.
The Italian champions are considering bringing back Bonucci to his former side Juventus. The defender was sold to Milan just last summer, amid rumours that he had fallen out with manager Massimiliano Allegri.
The veteran signed for Milan for a reported fee of €42 million fee on a five-year contract but reports via Goal claim he could well make a return after just a season away.
Higuain, despite being the star striker for Juve, will reportedly be on his way out of the club. The sensational transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid to Juve for a fee of around £100 million has meant that the Argentine striker is now surplus to requirements.
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So how serious are the preliminary discussions between the Milan and Juve? Well, on Monday, Milan general manager Leonardo and Juve CEO Beppe Marotta held talks but everything is at an early stage right now.
However, it is thought that Bonucci's agent, Alessandro Lucci, has stated that the player would be keen on a return to the Turin side.
It's thought that Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain are also keen on the defender, using the situation at Milan at the moment, where the club was repossessed by American hedge fund Elliott Management, because of an unpaid debt, to their advantage.
Milan boss Gennaro Gattuso - who offered the club a degree of resurgence when he took over Milan in November - said this of the situation with Bonucci:
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"His future? I do not know. I talked to him. Leo had a confrontation with me, but I'm not the club. He must talk to the managers, but as long as he wears the Milan shirt, I want to see the Bonucci of these first 12 days.
"He's a great professional and always the first to lead the group. I hope he can stay, he is a valuable player with a great mentality. When a player expresses a desire, the coach and those working in a group must do everything possible to persuade him to stay.
"Agonistically, we must think about the pros and cons. If the player asks explicitly, we need to tackle the subject."
This is different from Higuain, whose departure is almost certain.
Topics: Football News, Football, AC Milan, Juventus, Man United