Mattia Zaccagni and his entourage are still keen on agreeing a new contract extension with Lazio, but talks have reportedly hit somewhat of an impasse, as there is yet to be an agreement over the player’s salary.
However, the story goes back a little further, to Zaccagni’s wedding in June in fact.
Present at the ceremony was Lazio President Claudio Lotito, who, according to reports from Calciomercato.com, had promised Zaccagni’s entourage that they would sit down for contract talks shortly afterwards.
That meeting ultimately never took place and after several weeks of waiting, Zaccagni’s agent decided to push for a new deal, telling the Biancocelesti that they were heading for the ‘same situation’ as Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who left the club for Al-Hilal this summer with under a year left on his contract.
The agent has since gone back on his comments, insisting that he doesn’t want to “cause controversy.”
At present, Zaccagni is tied to Lazio until the summer of 2025, but if a new deal isn’t sorted by next season, Lazio run the risk of losing the Italy international for a cut-down fee, or worse, for free.
According to Calciomercato, there is currently a disagreement between the player’s camp and the club over a difference of around €700,000 per year in terms of salary, a situation that isn’t irreparable according to the Italian outlet.
Meanwhile, in the background, Juventus are lurking, as sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli is a fond admirer and had previously wanted to bring Zaccagni to Napoli.