Leonardo Bonucci leaves Union Berlin for Fenerbahce after troubled 4-month stay
Jan 11, 2024
Former Italy captain Leonardo Bonucci has signed for Turkish league leader Fenerbahce
BERLIN (AP) — Former Italy captain Leonardo Bonucci signed for Turkish league leader Fenerbahce on Thursday, ending a troubled four-month stay with
Union Berlin
.The 36-year-old defender was a
statement signing
for Union when he arrived on Sept. 1, the last day of the summer transfer window, after leaving Juventus ahead of Union's first-ever Champions League campaign.Bonucci's stay in Berlin, his first time with a club outside of Italy, swiftly turned sour. Union was eliminated in the Champions League group stage and found itself fighting against relegation from the Bundesliga after losing its first nine games in the German league.
Bonucci ended his time with Union as a bench player. After coach Urs Fischer was
fired in mid-November
, Bonucci played in only one of Union's six remaining games before the winter break. Union is 15th in the 18-team league.With Fenerbahce, Bonucci joins a team that leads the Turkish league by two points from its fierce rival Galatasaray. Fenerbahce has also secured a place in the last 16 of the Europa Conference League.
Union also said that forward David Datro Fofana is leaving the club after Chelsea ended his loan deal early. The 21-year-old Fofana scored twice in 17 games for Union.
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