Incoming Chelsea FC head coach Antonio Conte is reportedly keen on signing current Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci as his chosen replacement for club legend John Terry, who is reportedly set to exit Stamford Bridge in the summer.

Conte, who is "widely expected to be appointed as the next Chelsea manager in the coming days", is said to be looking to make a move for the 28-year-old Italian as soon as "he takes over at Chelsea", according to Metro.

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The report also said that the 46-year-old bench tactician "has already been given consideration to who he might sign at Stamford Bridge", and one of the first players he had in mind is the veteran center back from Viterbo, Italy.

Conte had coached Bonucci with Juventus during his stint with the Serie A club from 2011 to 2014. He is also one of Conte's captains in the Italian national football team right now together with goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.

Caught Offside noted that Bonucci is "a model of consistency at the position, missing only a handful of games between Juventus and his former club Bari since 2009", something that Conte will be looking forward to when he finally takes over as the Blues' boss from interim manager Guus Hiddink this summer.

Bonucci has been with Juve since July 2010, bought from Serie B team FC Bari for a transfer fee of €15.5 million. He had played for the reigning Italian top flight champions for six seasons now, appearing in 262 matches and scoring 15 times in all competitions as a defender.

Bonucci was also included in the Serie A Team of the Year last season when La Vecchia Signora won its fourth straight Scudetto and 31st title overall in Italy's first division domestic competitions.

Meanwhile, Terry, Chelsea's legendary defender who had been with the squad for more than 18 years since his youth career, is reportedly not going to return with the Pensioners next season after announcing that the club will not give him a contract extension this summer.

TagsFootball News & Rumors, Antonio Conte, Leonardo Bonucci, John Terry, Chelsea FC