Kenan Yildiz’s contract extension talks have taken a new turn.
It’s not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself. Considering his meteoric rise to stardom, we shouldn’t be particularly surprised either. But it’s still a development – and it feels like now Juventus are trying to figure out their next move.
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According to Gazzetta dello Sport’s Giovanni Albanese on Wednesday, Yildiz has essentially set two main conditions in terms of the contract currently being discussed between his team and Juventus management. Firstly, as you would expect, he wants a competitive club that can compete for trophies relatively quickly. Second, and arguably just as important, Yildiz and his agent Jorge Mendes want to become Juventus’ highest-paid player when he eventually signs a new contract, which Giorgio Chiellini has repeatedly told us will happen in due course.
Yildiz signed contract extensions in the first two seasons since he was fully promoted to the Juventus first team under Max Allegri starting in the 2023-24 season, and currently earns a net salary of approximately 1.7 million euros per season.
You can argue with the Yildiz camp demanding such a high salary – and that’s understandable. Assume this is more like what Jonathan David earns – around €6 million net – rather than the extraordinary salary Dusan Vlahovic is getting in the final year of his contract this year. This is a good thing.
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But with the clock ticking and Juventus still waiting for a new deal to be struck, issuing a grand press release and letting Yildiz take some photos as he signs his big new contract, it’s just charting the course of what is arguably the most significant deal the club has attempted to do with a player already on their roster in at least a few years.
Yildiz is not at risk of leaving on a free like Vlahovic, Federico Chiesa or Paulo Dybala, but it is clear that Yildiz’s camp – namely super agent Mendes – want the youngsters they represent to be paid as top players at the club. It’s a reflection of how quickly Yildiz has developed into a star that we sit here talking about his third contract extension in as many seasons, this one clearly carrying a greater financial commitment than the previous two. Is it too early to promise a net salary of more than 6 million euros for a player who only turns 21 in July? perhaps. But at the same time, Yildiz is the kind of talent you need to keep under contract for as long as possible.
Because the last thing Juventus needs is to play outside the Bianconeri and call a city other than Turin home.