Journalist Antonio Barilla has shed light on how Juventus managed to persuade Adrien Rabiot to extend his contract by another year.
Rabiot had previously expressed his desire to play for a club that competes in the UEFA Champions League, which seemed to indicate his potential departure from Juventus.
Reports had linked Rabiot with several prominent clubs, including Liverpool and Manchester United, both of whom could offer him a long-term contract with an appealing salary package.
However, Juventus remained adamant about their desire for Rabiot to stay at the club, and as a compromise, they were willing to offer him a one-year contract extension.
The club’s insistence, combined with the opportunity for Rabiot to continue his career at Juventus for another season, proved persuasive enough to convince him to reconsider his options and sign the shorter-term deal.
Barilla explains how this was accomplished via Tuttomercatoweb:
“Everything seemed lost because we are talking about a player available on a free transfer with unbeatable offers from the Premier League for any Italian club.
The key was to propose a one-year contract to the Frenchman while maintaining the same figures as last year, thanks to the ‘decreto crescita’ [growth decree].
By leveraging the good relationship between the player, the coach, and the club, they managed to postpone the issue for a year, allowing young players like Rovella to grow. It also made an exception without causing too much trauma to the wage bill.
Moreover, players like Di Maria and Cuadrado will leave, resulting in savings of approximately 30 million euros per year. It’s not yet finalised, but there is optimism, and I think it was a smart move. Juventus managed to convince Rabiot, who is represented by his mother as an agent.”
Juve FC Says
Rabiot is one player we had to keep at the Allianz Stadium and it is great that we found an agreement to sign him now.
The midfielder did well in the last campaign and remains one player who will help the younger lads in the dressing room, so we had to keep him.