There is a contract extension that is at the forefront of just about everybody’s mind right now and that involves Kenan Yildiz. We have known for months that Juventus want to lock him down to an even longer
deal than he currently is signed to, with a salary boost that is reflective of what a top player of his caliber should likely be earning regardless of age.
And as we hear about the demands that Yildiz’s camp want, it looks like Juve might be ready to meet them.
Or, at least the financial aspect of it all.
According to Monday’s big front page story in Tuttosport, Juventus are ready to up their contract offer to Yildiz, who has been the driving force behind the club’s recent resurgence under Luciano Spalletti. Previous reports have suggested that the Yildiz camp wants upward of €6 million net a season when it comes to his next salary, and Juventus are reportedly set to offer that amount, up from the rumored €4.5 million net — and €1.7 million net he currently earns — that was part of the last significant round of talks. Juve also want to add another year onto the contract extension, which would mean the previously reported extension through 2030 would now be through 2031 and obviously add even more financial commitment to Yildiz and confirm his standing as a cornerstone of Juventus going forward.
As has been the case for months now, this contract — and subsequent major raise — is something that Juventus want to get done as soon as possible as the biggest fish (namely from the Premier League) are going to be circling around Yildiz in the coming transfer windows no matter what happens. So tying him down and paying the 20-year-old budding star a much bigger wage is viewed as being the thing that would thwart those English and other European giants away. At least for now.
Clearly, as time has passed since the talk of another Yildiz contract extension first came about prior to the Club World Cup, trying to get Yildiz locked in has become more and more of a priority than it already was earlier this year. We know that Premier League clubs — and probably Real Madrid as well — are circling, therefore giving Yildiz a salary that would come close to rivaling what he might get from those clubs is vital. Is it a lot to pay for a 20-year-old who won’t be 21 until early May? Yeah, but if he really is the building block for the future (and present) like so many of us believe, then Juventus need to show that to him through how much he’s being paid.
Maybe not to the levels of which Dusan Vlahovic has earned during his time at Juventus because that is very much an outlier that the club doesn’t want to repeat. But having Yildiz as one of, if not the highest-paid player just feels like something that the club needs to make happen as soon as possible because he’s become a player that should be at that level.
You keep Yildiz happy, you hopefully keep Yildiz at Juventus as long as possible and therefore players will want to play alongside him as the next couple of years go on. Juve struck gold with bringing in this talented teen from Bayern Munich, now it’s about keeping him in Turin as long as you can.
