TURIN — Juventus forward Paulo Dybala signed a five-year contract extension with the Serie A champions Thursday.
The Turin-based club said Dybala had renewed his contract until June 30, 2022, topping off a fantastic week for the Argentina international, who scored two goals in Juve’s 3-0 win over Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals Tuesday.
“I’m very happy and proud to be part of this team,” the 23-year-old Dybala said. “It’s a week in which I’m experiencing very important, very special emotions. I’m very happy for what I’m doing for the club, for the team and for the fans.” AC Milan completes sale
The takeover of AC Milan was completed Thursday, with Silvio Berlusconi selling the club to a Chinese consortium after 31 years in charge.
The group, led by Chinese businessman Yonghong Li, has been attempting to buy Milan for some time but the deal has hit a series of delays and the sale has been postponed twice.
“I thank Berlusconi and Fininvest for their trust and the fans for their patience, from today we will build the future,” Li said. The deal, which values Milan at 740 million euros (about $800 million), requires the investors to spend 350 million euros ($372 million) over three years on improvements. Kante and Hazard up for award
N’Golo Kante and Eden Hazard have seen their key roles in Chelsea’s bid for the Premier League title acknowledged with nominations for England’s Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year award.
The duo were on a six-strong shortlist announced Thursday that also included Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez, Manchester United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Everton’s Romelu Lukaku and Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane.
Kante, who could now win the Premier League title with two different clubs in successive seasons, was shortlisted last year for his part in Leicester City’s astonishing 5,000/1 triumph but did not even make the top three for an award won by his then Foxes teammate Riyad Mahrez.
The 2016/17 season winner will be announced at London’s Grosvenor House hotel on April 23.
Hazard won the award two years ago when Chelsea last won the Premier League and has been an influential figure in the Blues’ latest push to be crown champions of England.
Lukaku is currently the Premier League’s top scorer with 23 goals so far this season, while fellow forward Ibrahimovic has 17 goals in his first campaign in English football.
Kane, the only Englishman among the nominees, has scored 19 goals for Spurs while, across north London, Sanchez’s 18 goals have been a rare highlight in an otherwise disappointing season for Arsenal.
Spurs and England star Kane has also been shortlisted for the Young Player of the Year award alongside club colleague Dele Alli, with both the senior and junior honours voted for by England’s top-flight professional players.
Also nominated for the Young Player of the Year award are Lukaku, Sunderland goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, Burnley defender Michael Keane and Manchester City winger Leroy Sane. — Agencies
