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Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has quickly identified Manolas as Bonucci's replacement as Juventus look to get over the sudden departure of the Italian as quickly as possible.
The shocking departure of Leonardo Bonucci has left the Juventus defence in shambles. The only proven defenders they have left are the aging Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli who will be 33 and 36 respectively by the start of the new season.
According to Italian sports site Tuttosport, Massimiliano Allegri is desperate to shore up his defence and is looking at Roma's stand-out performer last season, Kostas Manolas.
The Greek defender was widely acclaimed by pundits last season and is seen as the perfect modern day centre-back where he can not only defend well but also heavily contribute to a team's attack, something that Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos is a master of.
Defensively, Manolas made 180 clearances and 66 interceptions. However, it is his offensive statistics that truly sets him apart from the rest of the centre-backs in Serie A. He had a jaw-dropping take-on success rate of a 92 percent and had an 87 percent passing accuracy while chipping in with two assists and a goal.
Allegri will have to act fast as the defender is poised to join Russian club Zenit St. Petersburg. A fee had already been agreed on but Manolos did not show up for the club's medical, which threw the move into doubt.
Juventus will likely capitalize on this and will be able to match or even surpass the €35 million fee that was offered by Zenit.
Written by Sharhind Singh
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