There’s growing optimism at Juventus over the contract extension of Argentine winger Angel Di Maria, even if they fail to qualify for Europe. The 25-year-old has been among the most important players in the Bianconeri’s squad this season, capped off by his scintillating solo performance in their 3-0 win over Nantes in the Europa League last week.
La Gazzetta dello Sport report this morning that there’s rising confidence that Juventus will convince the veteran to remain in Turin for one more season, despite only have three months left on his existing contract.
Juve are prepared to ‘break the deadlock’ and push ahead with Il Fideo’s renewal, regardless of if they will feature in any European competitions next season, with the newspaper citing the players excellent form this season as having ‘swept away all doubts’ from Juve management.
Having officially announced Danilo’s extension until 2025, Bianconeri executives are now expected to go ‘on the attack’ to secure a new deal for Di Maria, and negotiations will reportedly start very soon, with Gazzetta citing Argentine sources for stating that the chances are ‘good’ regarding an agreement.
The suggestion from the pink paper is that Juve want to secure Di Maria’s extension in advance of the end of the season, and the player is open to the possibility of remaining, even if the Bianconeri don’t qualify for the Champions League. For that reason, managing director Maurizio Scanavino, head of sport Francesco Calvo and general manager Federico Cherubini do not want to waste time and intend to take advantage of the ‘favourable wind.’
Di Maria’s was expected to return to childhood club Rosario Central to see out his playing career, but Gazzetta suggest that has been pushed back for the moment. The Argentine has always insisted that the happiness of his family will dictate his decision, and the newspaper writes that his wife and two daughters have ‘fallen in love’ with the pre-hilly area of the city, where they live (among Di Maria’s neighbours is Dusan Vlahovic), and with Turin, as they also appreciate the ‘discreet and reserved’ ways of the city.