It is anticipated that Arkadiusz Milik will agree to add an additional year in a new deal, which would mean he is contracted with the Turin titans until June 2027.
This move is to balance the books at the club. With the Poland international due to take a drastic annual salary cut, from €3.5 million (US$4m) to €1.75m (US$2m), because he will be loaned out for the next two seasons.
There had been rumours that there would be an early termination of Milik’s contract following persistent injury problems.
The only alternative was for the club to try and sell the 31-year-old former Napoli hot-shot during the summer transfer window. Yet Milik’s high wages and declining input at Juve meant that a straightforward sale appeared highly improbable.
Immediate impact
Milik hit the ground running after joining Juventus on loan from Olympique de Marseille to tackle the 2022/23 campaign. He bagged seven goals in his first few months at the club, before the break for the FIFA 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar.
Juve opted to make the move permanent at the end of the loan, signing him for €6.3m (US$7.15m) in June 2023. That was despite the fact that he scored just once in his final 17 appearances of the 2022/23 campaign.
Plans for Milik during the following season were to have him as a back-up forward should any other attackers leave. However, he only notched four goals in seven Serie A starts, and seemed to have disappeared off the Juve’s radar.
Quiet in Turin
There’s been surprisingly little mention from Juventus about his fitness or future, despite zero appearances in a Juve jersey this term.
Milik has been ruled out since June following a knee injury and subsequent surgery, he suffered a calf injury at the turn of the year and other health problems have followed.
Extending Milik’s contract by 12 months appears to be Juve’s most prudent course of action. It provides financial savings for Juventus and offers him time to seek a club ready to take him on loan. He is probably going to remain in Serie A, fitness permitting.