Matthijs de Ligt is poised to extend his contract with Juventus until 2026 after talks were held on Monday afternoon.
The Dutchman has enjoyed a stellar third season in Turin and is considered to be a cornerstone of the club’s rebuild. The late Mino Raiola had previously flirted with the idea of De Ligt leaving Juve this summer, but the defender is ready to commit his long-term future to the Bianconeri.
Juve will be without Giorgio Chiellini from the start of next season after he said goodbye to the Juventus tifosi on Monday night as Lazio spoiled the Old Lady’s night of farewells. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic rescued a point for the Biancocolesti at the death which all but secured their place in next season’s Europa League.
Matthijs de Ligt is ‘close’ to extending his Juventus contract until 2026
Matthijs de Ligt is close to sign a new contract with Juventus. Advanced talks for deal extension until June 2026, negotiations now underway. @SkySport 🚨🇳🇱 #Juventus
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 16, 2022
De Ligt’s now prepared to stay at Juventus - as Chiellini will leave the club in the next few days. pic.twitter.com/I5SRCLpqnw
De Ligt caught a glimpse first-hand of Chiellini’s Bianconeri legacy on Monday night as the club celebrated the Italian stalwart’s 17 years of heroic service.
When Juve signed the Dutchman from Ajax for €75m in 2019, many hoped that the then-teenager would succeed the likes of Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci as the club’s protagonistic figure in defence.
It certainly hasn’t been all plain-sailing for De Ligt in Turin, and even this season we’ve seen the defender make one or two high-profile errors, but he’s undoubtedly shown signs of developing into a future Juventus captain.
The Dutchman’s arguably been the Bianconeri’s stand-out performer this season, and news regarding his potential contract extension has been well-received by Juventini after they bade farewell to Chiellini.
Fabrizio Romano reports that Juve are in “advanced talks” with the player’s entourage over a new deal that’ll keep him in Turin until 2026. Negotiations began with representatives of Raiola’s agency on Monday as talks over the futures of Paul Pogba and Moise Kean were also held.
De Ligt is never too far away from leaving Juventus – if you believe the papers – and Manchester United’s recent appointment of his former Ajax boss, Erik ten Hag, saw some media outlets flirt with the idea of the defender reuniting with Ten Hag at Old Trafford.
However, news of his imminent extension should put to rest any transfer rumours surrounding the Dutchman (for now).