Within the last couple of months, Juventus have gotten three of their most pressing contract situations fully resolved. Kenan Yildiz got his big new long-term contract. Impending free agent Weston McKennie signed a long-term deal that finally gives him a level of security that he hasn’t had at Juventus in a long time. And, of course, the most recent announcement last week that manager Luciano Spalletti has signed a two-year extension and is shooting to build something in Turin.
NOw, it appears the
next contract extension for an important piece to the puzzle is on deck.
According to reports from the likes of IlBianconero chief Romeo Agresti and Mirko Di Natale of TuttoJuve, Juventus are finalizing a contract extension with midfielder Manuel Locatelli, one of the many players who were rumored to be next up on the Contract Extension Train following Yildiz and McKennie officially signing their respectively new deals. Locatelli’s new deal is expected to be through 2030, adding two years onto a deal that was signed back in 2023. Since then, Locatelli has become a central piece to the Juventus midfield and club setup, wearing the captain’s armband and playing some of his best ball in Turin under the watch of Spalletti.
As per previous reporting, Locatelli’s salary is expected to rise to the neighborhood of €4 million net per season. He currently earns a reported salary of €3 million net per season.
A lot like when word first came out last week regarding Spalletti’s contract extension, things are down to the last details and Locatelli could very well sign his new deal at some point before Juventus face Bologna on Sunday or in the days following the big matchup at the Allianz Stadium this weekend. Whenever it does happen, it will be another signal from Juventus’ management team that the spine of this team is one they want to keep intact even though the club has struggled to be a consistent presence in the top four the last couple of years and have had to scramble late in the season to qualify for the Champions League.
To get there again next season, Locatelli will certainly have to be a key figure.
Then again, that’s what you would expect from your captain who is set to sign a new contract and get a nice salary bump. Under Spalletti, Locatelli has been very good and easily one of Juventus’ best players. As we’ve seen players drift in and out of either the lineup, their personal form or usually both, Locatelli has been one of the most consistent players alongside Yildiz and McKennie that Spalletti has had available to him.
The contract is both a reward for that and a sign that the Juventus management team wants to keep their captain around as they try and build a much more competitive squad. For some, that might not be what they want to hear, but Locatelli is about as fully entrenched at Juventus as a player can be — and this new contract is just the latest sign of that.
