Report: Juventus open contract extension talks with Danilo

Over the last handful of years, Juventus has not been shy with handing out long-term contract extensions to starting lineup stalwarts even though they’re over the age of 30.

And even though things have changed a little bit under Juve’s new leadership in the front office, that notion of giving guys over 30 a new contract doesn’t look like it’s going to be totally changing.

According to Italian journalist Nicolo Schira last week, Juventus have begun talks with Danilo’s representatives about extending the versatile 31-year-old Brazilian’s contract through 2025. Danilo’s current contract runs through 2024, so he would only see another year added onto that, but it would mean he would be tied to Juventus until his mid-30s — and that’s something that hasn’t always worked out for the Bianconeri’s roster construction and potential transfer dealings in the past.

On sheer performance, I think it’s safe to say that Danilo has certainly earned any potential contract extension that is coming his way. Ever since his much-debated move from Manchester City that saw Joao Cancelo go the other way and blossom under Pep Guardiola in the Premier League, Danilo has developed into what looks like from the outside looking in as a leader both on the field and in the locker room. His performances have been some of the steadiest and most consistent since he first joined Juve, with his versatility becoming more and more important to this squad over the last few years — something we first saw under Andrea Pirlo and now especially under Max Allegri as he plays as a full-on center back in a four-man backline.

But giving a guy a new contract that will run into his mid-30s — no matter how good he has been for you over the last couple of seasons — is always going to be a risk. And as we know with Juventus, sometimes these kinds of things don’t always work out and maybe they hang onto a player a year or two longer than they should. (Not that Danilo’s performances suggest a sudden downturn in form, but you never know.)

There’s been no word on how things salary-wise will be structured in this potential new deal. But guessing how Danilo has really grown to be an important part of this Juventus squad, the likelihood of him adding a year onto his contract doesn’t seem like it will be too hard to accomplish and agree upon.