Bonucci explains why he left Juventus for Milan: ‘They sold me for €30m’ | OneFootball

Former Juventus and Italy centre-back Leonardo Bonucci has spoken in-depth about his decision to leave Juventus for Milan in a recent interview with Prime Video, explaining that he has no regrets over his decision, while also indirectly criticising the Bianconeri for the deal that they agreed with the Rossoneri.

Bonucci left Juventus in the summer of 2017, shortly after the club’s appearance in the Champions League final in Cardiff. He would go on to join Milan, assuming the captaincy in the process, but his spell at San Siro only lasted a year before he wound up back in Turin.

Why Bonucci left Juventus for Milan

“You’d be the symbol of our rebirth, we’ll give you the captain’s armband,” is what Bonucci said he was told before making his high-profile switch to Milan.

Explaining his decision to leave Juventus, despite having just won his sixth consecutive Serie A title, he said: “It was the end of Juve, my agent called me and told me that there was this possibility. After the Cardiff final, something had stopped working at Juve.

“Juve and I talked, and said that our paths were going to go in different directions, and then Milan came up.”

MILAN, ITALY – MARCH 08: Leonardo Bonucci of AC Milan gestures during UEFA Europa League Round of 16 match between AC Milan and Arsenal at the San Siro on March 8, 2018 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

“In that moment, you make choices based on the things that you’ve experienced. The year before, the club told me ‘we won’t even sell you for €100’.Then they sold me to Milan for €42m, and De Scigilio was involved, too, so really they sold me for €30m. It’s not that they wanted to keep me at all costs.”

Though Bonucci put pen to paper on a five-year deal at the time of his Milan signing, his time in San Siro would only last one season.

He went on to win another two Serie A titles, a Coppa Italia and a Supercoppa Italiana in the two years following his return to Turin.