Juventus monitors Nicolò Zaniolo as Udinese contract talks stall
A salary gap of up to €700,000 per season has frozen extension negotiations, opening the door for Serie A's biggest clubs to circle
Juventus is closely tracking Zaniolo’s contract situation at Udinese, where extension talks have ground to a halt over a significant wage disagreement. The gap between what Zaniolo wants and what Udinese is willing to offer sits at roughly €600,000 to €700,000 per season, a considerable delta when measured against his current net salary of €1.2 million.
The numbers behind the standoff
Udinese made Zaniolo’s move permanent on June 15, 2026, exercising a purchase option worth approximately €5 million to buy him outright from Galatasaray. That deal came with a notable string attached: the Turkish club retained a 50% sell-on clause, meaning Galatasaray would pocket half of any future transfer fee.
Zaniolo’s current contract runs through June 30, 2029. Udinese has reportedly set a €15 million price tag on Zaniolo. That’s triple what they paid to sign him permanently just weeks ago.
In the 2025-26 Serie A season, Zaniolo contributed 5 goals and 5 assists.
Juventus’s angle and the Adzic factor
Juventus isn’t just window shopping. Reports indicate the Bianconeri have floated the idea of including young midfielder Vasilije Adzic as part of a potential swap deal.
Juventus isn’t alone in their interest. AC Milan, Lazio, and Como have all reportedly been monitoring Zaniolo’s situation.
The gap isn’t enormous in absolute terms. We’re talking about €600,000 to €700,000 per season, which is meaningful for a club like Udinese but functionally a rounding error for Juventus or Milan.
The 50% sell-on clause held by Galatasaray adds another wrinkle. If Udinese sells Zaniolo for their asking price of €15 million, they’d only net €7.5 million after Galatasaray takes their cut. Subtract the €5 million purchase price, and Udinese’s profit shrinks to just €2.5 million.
This dynamic could actually work in Juventus’s favor. If Udinese’s real return on a sale is modest regardless, they might be more inclined to accept a creative deal structure that includes Adzic rather than holding out for a pure cash offer that gets halved by the sell-on clause anyway.