Real Madrid have been dealt a major blow in their pursuit of Juventus defender Miralem Pjanić, as the tenacious midfielder is set to sign a new contract to keep him with the Serie A giants until 2022.
According to Football Italia, the Bosnia and Herzegovina international will sign a one year extension on his existing deal, which will see his earnings soar to €7m per year. While football contracts are becoming increasingly meaningless in terms of tying players to their clubs, the deal will at least assure that Pjanić remains with his club for at least another season.
Real Madrid were tipped as hot favourites to sign the 28-year-old before the end of the summer transfer window, with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain also thought to be interested. Los Blancos were reported to have had a €60m bid turned down for Pjanić earlier in the week, which is believed to have been an attempt to find a replacement for Luka Modrić, should the Croatian move to Inter.
Juventus have won the last seven Serie A titles on the bounce, and will look to continue their dominance of the Italian top tier this season with the help of new acquisition Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese prodigy completed a €112m move from Real Madrid earlier in the summer, and will be aiming to win even more silverware to add to an already impressive collection.
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In other news, Juventus are believed to have turned down an offer from Paris Saint-Germain for their star left-back Alex Sandro. The Ligue 1 giants have been relentlessly perusing the Brazilian international throughout the summer, but Juve are unwilling to sanction deal without finding a suitable replacement.
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