Leonardo Bonucci signs Juventus contract extension

The defender has been courted by Manchester City and Chelsea in recent months, but has ended speculation of an upcoming move to the Premier League by committing himself to the reigning Italian champions.

The 29-year-old has been a key component of Juve's recent dominance of Italian football. With Bonucci at the back, the Old Lady have won five consecutive Serie A titles while putting together regular challenges in the Champions League.

Cultured on the ball and with an impressive ability to read the game, Bonucci is widely regarded as one of the most talented defenders of his generation, and as such has been highly sought-after by the other big clubs across Europe.

But the man who moved to Turin from Bari in 2010 has clearly found a place in heart for Juventus.

"I have renewed until 2021!" Bonucci said. "I chose the house where I grew up among the greats. There is one goal: keep winning!"

This news is a major blow to Chelsea and Manchester City... but was Bonucci ever really going to leave Juventus?

He's winning trophies for fun in Turin, and Juve have proven over recent years that they are a bizarrely underrated side on the European stage, such is their consistency of reaching the Champions League latter stages.

Bonucci should be giving his agent a big pat on the back too, because they was no real chance of Chelsea signing him once they'd already splashed out big money on a similar style of player in David Luiz this summer. But still the rumours persisted, leading to a contract that will make Leonardo a very well-paid man until at least his mid-30s.