Trezeguet stays at Juve
Afp, Rome
David Trezeguet has ended speculation about his future by signing a three-year contract extension with Juventus, the newly-promoted Serie A club confirmed on Monday.The French striker, who had been linked with a move to Spanish side Valencia after contract negotiations with Juve broke down earlier this month, has put pen to paper on a new deal that will keep him at the club until June 30, 2011. Trezeguet, whose original contract was due to expire in June 2008, expressed his delight at continuing his love affair with the Turin giants who were promoted from Serie B last season after spending a season in the second division following their demotion for match-fixing. "I am proud to tie my name to this club for another four seasons," the 29-year-old France international was quoted as saying by the Gazzetta dello Sport's website. "I have made an important choice for my career and for my life. This is a club that has given me a lot, and I want to stay with them and win more." Juve CEO Jean-Claude Blanc insisted the club had been determined to keep 'Trezegol'. "We talked at length with David and we have reached an agreement that satisfies both parties," Blanc said. "From our point of view it was always our intention to keep a champion who in seven years has written a chapter in the history of this club, scoring lots of goals and helping us reach important targets. "We have cleared everything up and we can only be satisfied with this agreement that will make the squad even more competitive." Trezeguet was one of the few star players to stick with Juve after their relegation for sporting fraud. While captain Fabio Cannavaro, wingback Gianluca Zambrotta, midfielder Patrick Vieira and defender Lilian Thuram all fled after the club's demotion, Trezeguet decided to see out life in Serie B. But despite his loyalty, the Frenchman came under heavy criticism for his performances and managed just 15 goals -- a poor return for such a proven striker in a lower division. At the end of the season, Didier Deschamps quit as coach and was replaced by former Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri. Trezeguet joined Juventus from French club Monaco at the start of the 2000-01 season, shortly after scoring France's winning goal in the Euro 2000 final against Italy.
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