Zaniolo contract stalemate: Juventus weighs swap after wage gap

Nicolò Zaniolo is under close watch from Juventus as Udinese extension talks stall. The Zaniolo contract dispute centers on wages, with a reported gap of €600,000–€700,000 per season versus his current net salary of about €1.2 million. Udinese made the move permanent on June 15, 2026 by exercising a ~€5 million purchase option from Galatasaray. That deal includes a 50% sell-on clause for Galatasaray, meaning Galatasaray would take half of any future transfer fee. Zaniolo’s current contract runs until June 30, 2029. Udinese have reportedly set a €15 million asking price. If Udinese sold him at that level, they would net ~€7.5 million after the sell-on payout, leaving only ~€2.5 million profit versus the ~€5 million purchase cost—an outcome that could reduce Udinese’s urgency to accept a straight cash offer. Juventus is not the only club monitoring the Zaniolo contract situation. Reports say AC Milan, Lazio, and Como are also keeping tabs. Juventus has floated a potential swap that could include young midfielder Vasilije Adzic. In the 2025–26 Serie A season, Zaniolo recorded 5 goals and 5 assists. Overall, the wage disagreement and the sell-on clause may make structured deals (including player swaps) more likely than purely cash-driven negotiations.