Talks between Juventus management and the Turkish player’s father-agent continue with a mutual desire to reach an agreement. Chelsea and Barcelona remain in the background.
Work in progress. Negotiations for the renewal and adjustment of the contract between Kenan Yildiz and Juve are continuing at a pace that is perhaps a little slower than expected. The desire is mutual, and Juventus remains optimistic, but there is still no agreement on the figures for the new deal, which will see the Turkish number 10 commit to the Old Lady until 2030, with a salary almost triple his current $1.5 million per year.
While the Serie A break gives Igor Tudor the opportunity to give his defenders (all of whom have remained at Continassa) some extra training, it also allows the new Juventus management to continue the discussions already underway for the choice of the new sporting director (Ottolini in pole position) and for the new contract of the player who, in the summer of 2024, with the investiture of the number 10 shirt, had already been identified as the symbol of the new course. Juve is now trying to reaffirm this desire by offering Kenan’s father, Engin, and the entourage that looks after his interests, a salary (including bonuses) that would place him among the top five in the dressing room. This would be on a par with Bremer (€5 million net per year) or Koopmeiners (€4.5 million), behind only the unattainable Vlahovic (€12 million) and David (6). However, the Turkish player’s father is probably still expecting something more, given his son’s current status: despite being only 20 years old, Yildiz is the technical leader of the new Juve, had an excellent Club World Cup, and is set to be one of the protagonists of the current Champions League and (qualification permitting) the World Cup with Turkey next summer.
Despite not being in great form (he has not scored or provided an assist in four games), the Turkish star remains in the sights of Europe’s big clubs. At the end of July, Damien Comolli turned down €70 million from Chelsea, but the Blues (who have specialized in snapping up the majority of young talent in recent years) are ready to return to the fray. Meanwhile, rumors continue to circulate in Spain about Joan Laporta’s “crazy idea” of bringing two of the greatest young talents to Barcelona: Yildiz and Lamine Yamal. Finally, it is in this context that we must consider the recent results of Juventus, which is experiencing a few too many setbacks in its quest to return to competitiveness in Italy and Europe. The desire of the player and the club to continue together is mutual (Kenan wants to stay and renew his contract, Juve wants to build an increasingly strong team around him), but work to continue the partnership is still ongoing. And to avoid surprises, the deal needs to be closed quickly.
