Could Bonucci’s Move to Milan Spring Manolas to Juventus?

While our hatred/envy of AC Milan grows with every million they spend this summer, it sure was nice to see Juventus on the receiving end of it for once; it’s a bitter pill Roma fans are all too familiar with, so it’s nice to see Juve swallow it for once. Will losing Leonardo Bonucci be the first loose thread that leads to the unravelling of Juventus? I sincerely doubt it, but it could point to a potential tipping of the Serie A scales should Milan prove capable of sustaining this financial pace, to say nothing of the product on the pitch.

So how does all of this relate to Roma you might ask? Well, simple. Roma is very much a separate class from Juventus (and apparently Milan now), so of course this two-way transaction automatically spilled over to Roma, with the Giallorossi serving as an outlet mall of sorts for Juventus.

With €40 million suddenly burning a hole in their pockets, Juventus are reportedly keen on our very own Kostas Manolas, seeing him as either the best or most immediate alternative to the dearly departed Bonucci, or maybe not so dear if you believe all the Champions League finale rumors.

In the wake of these rumors—and really before the Bonucci sale even went down—James Pallotta attempted to assuage everyone’s fears, issuing an edict about Manolas’ future in Rome, saying without equivocation, “Manolas won’t be going anywhere.”

Hmm, something about that sounds familiar, let’s take a quick flashback...

I’ve already said that we’re not going to sell Pjanic

In an almost identical statement from May 9, 2016, Pallotta’s words were no less definitive...we’re not going to sell... only to turn around and sell Pjanic less than a month later. Now, we get it, things happen, financial situations change that require selling players, that’s not really the issue. The issue is these blanket statements he continues to make, statements that, as we’re seeing, tend to blow up in his face. So would it really surprise you if you woke up two weeks from now to see Kostas’ smiling face in black and white stripes?

Further complicating matters in this instance was the simple fact that Roma already tried to sell Manolas, and would have were it not for his refusal to move to Zenit last month, so you’ll have to forgive us if we’re not buying what Pallotta is selling, no pun intended.

Of course, on the flip side, now that Roma and Schalke have reached an impasse over the transfer of Matija Nastasic, Monchi may be a bit hesitant to sell Manolas now. BUT on the flip, flip side, the cash acquired from selling Manolas could grease the Nastasic wheels.

Transfer season is always a mess, but I don’t recall a silly season that produced this many headaches, do you?