Juventus are reportedly working on a contract renewal for Dusan Vlahovic, who was close to joining Chelsea in the off-season.
The 23-year-old joined the club in January last year from Fiorentina for a sum in excess of €80m (£68.7m) but had an underwhelming season owing largely to a recurring groin issue that affected his performances.
However, the Serbian has made a bright start to the current campaign, including scoring two goals and an assist in his opening three league matches, and looks to be returning to some of his best form.
According to a report by La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Bianconeri are now working on a potential contract renewal for the striker that will extend his current deal, which runs until 2026, by another year.
© Reuters
The report also explains that Juve's sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli and club director Giovanni Manna will commence negotiations with Vlahovic's representatives in October.
Among the main reasons for the decision by the club is to try and reduce their costs since the striker is one of the highest earners in the team, and extending his contract by a further year would give management additional leverage in potential future negotiations with other clubs.
In his current contract, Vlahovic's salary is agreed to rise from €7m (£6m) to €10m (£8.6m) before peaking at €12.5m (£10.7m) per year in his final season, which is a major issue for the club, considering they are in the midst of major financial troubles.
This is not the first contract that Juve have had to tinker with this season, as other key players such as Adrien Rabiot and Wojciech Szczesny have seen similar arrangements tabled over the last few months.
Devesh Jaganath
