Juventus extend coach Luciano Spalletti's contract to 2028

Juventus coach Luciano Spalletti will continue in his role until 2028, the Italian club said on Friday, as they look to qualify for the Champions League next season.

Spalletti, who formerly managed Inter Milan, Napoli and the Italy national team, took charge of Juve in October last year following the dismissal of Igor Tudor after a poor run of results.

He had initially signed a short-term deal until the end of the season, with Italian media reporting renewal clauses linked to performance objectives, primarily Champions League qualification.

"We are delighted to have extended Luciano's contract for a further two seasons," Juventus CEO Damien Comolli said in a statement.

"Since Luciano joined our great Juventus family, he has had an immediate and very positive impact on our players, the whole club and the entire Bianconeri community.

"It was immediately clear to everyone that Luciano was the right person to lead the team on a path of growth."

Six months since Spalletti's appointment, Juventus have seen some improvement in their Serie A form.

They are fifth in the standings with 57 points and in the hunt for a top-four finish, sitting a point behind fourth-placed Como.

However, they remain well short of the pace set by title contenders Inter (72 points) and Napoli (65).

Spalletti led Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years in 2023 before he was appointed Italy coach later that year.

The 67-year-old was unable to lead the European champions to a successful defence of their title as they crashed out in the last 16 of Euro 2024 with a 2-0 loss to Switzerland.

He also oversaw an uninspiring 2026 World Cup qualification campaign, leading to his sacking last June, less than two years in the job.

Juventus face Atalanta in Serie A on Saturday.

(Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru Editing by Christian Radnedge)