Kenan Yildiz: ‘Very happy at Juventus, I asked Vlahovic to stay’

Kenan Yildiz assures he has ‘Juventus in my heart’ after signing a new long-term contract and ‘asked Dusan Vlahovic to stay, but that is not up to me.’

The Turkish talent was snapped up as a free agent by their NextGen youth team in 2022 and just days after his 21st birthday has become the key figure in the Bianconeri squad.

He wears the iconic Number 10 jersey, following in the footsteps of his hero Alessandro Del Piero, and recently signed a new deal to June 2030.

“I have Juve in my heart, and I thank Elkann for his kind words about me,” Yildiz told reporters at the presentation of the new 2026-27 Juventus jersey.

He was referring to John Elkann, the heir to the Agnelli family fortune and chief of the club’s parent company Exor.

While the media outside Italy will continue to claim there are proposals from the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, Real Madrid and more, he only has eyes for the Old Lady.

“I am very happy at this club. We want to repay all the affection shown to us by these fans.”

If Kenan Yildiz is staying, the same might not be true of teammate Vlahovic, whose contract will expire on June 30. Has he asked the Serbian to sign a new deal?

“Of course I did, but that isn’t up to me…”

Now Juventus have leapfrogged Milan into third place and are just two points behind Napoli in second with two rounds left to play.

“We must always aim for the maximum result. There is pressure from outside, but we are focused only on doing our best with the coach. The objective is always to do the best, so that means going into the Champions League, targeting second place.”