Manchester City have reportedly been told that they will have to break the transfer record for a defender if they wish to bring Juventus's Leonardo Bonucci to the Etihad Stadium this summer.

Man City splashed £47.5m to sign John Stones from Everton last summer, but the England international has struggled to impress under Pep Guardiola, while Argentine international Nicolas Otamendi has also had his problems since arriving in the Premier League.

According to The Telegraph, Bonucci is Guardiola's leading centre-back target, but Juventus have informed Man City that they will not consider bids under £50m for the experienced Italian international.

Bonucci, 29, joined Juventus from Bari in 2010 and has made more than 307 appearances during his time in Turin - winning five Serie A titles in the process.

Chelsea and Manchester United are also believed to be closely monitoring proceedings.