Just a couple of months ago, the possibility of Juventus holding on to Nico González seemed like a small possibility at its very best. Juve needed money during the summer window, González was one of their best assets to bring in a good amount of cash and they had a team in Atlético Madrid who looked as though they very much wanted to bring him back to the Spanish capital after a season on loan.
The thing is, González didn’t go back to Atléti. He stayed at Juventus.
And since the summer transfer window
shut and González’s status at Juve was secured, he has proven to be not only one of the Bianconeri’s best players, but also somebody who has been incredibly important because of the players who are currently out injured.
Since the beginning of the season to now, the 28-year-old González’s future in Turin has greatly changed — and the latest step in the equation looks to be close to taking place as Serie A returns to the field this weekend. According to reports from the likes of Romeo Agresti and Fabrizio Romano, Juventus are finalizing and set to sign González to a new deal after reaching a verbal agreement on terms recently. While we don’t know the exact terms of the deal, it’s safe to say he will see at least one season added onto his current deal that runs through 2029 and will likely get a pay raise as a result of signing a contract extension.
Multiple reports stated that González will sign his contract extension with Juventus in the coming days — capping quite a remarkable six-week stretch in which he was thought of as a potential depth piece to now very important piece to manager Luciano Spalletti’s puzzle. González has gotten the chance to play big minutes thanks to injuries to Kenan Yildiz and others, and he has since started the season extremely well.
Now, the obvious thing to watch is if González can keep that kind of form going as we enter the first incredibly busy portion of the schedule this season. If he can, then signing him to a new deal will look smart — at least in the short term. If he doesn’t, then there will be plenty of head scratching regarding a new leadership group in the front office that has done some good things since arriving in the middle of the summer.
There’s is no denying that Spalletti is a huge fan of González and that is representative of how he has gone from potential outcast to now regular starter in such a short period of time to begin the season. Now we see what that kind of faith will mean to González’s form as we hit the meat of the schedule after such a long international break.
