Official: Zaniolo Signs Contract Extension

If only transfers rumors moved this fast. A day after speculating on a new contract extension for Nicolo Zaniolo, moments ago the club announced a new five-year deal with their 20-year-old superstar in the making, and not a moment too soon. It didn't take long for Zaniolo to make his mark with Roma, and it certainly didn't take long for the vultures to start circling, as we had to deal with rumors of his impending move to Juventus or Chelsea or PSG and I think he was even going to join Kawhi Leonard with the Clippers at one point.

But fear no more, Roma fans!

While terms of the deal weren't made public, the club did confirm that Zaniolo penned a new deal with Roma, one that will keep him in the capital through 2024. If, however, we follow yesterday's rumors we can safely assume Zaniolo’s new salary will fall somewhere in the €2.5 million range, a significant bump from his prior salary, a measly little €700,000.

On his new deal, Zaniolo spoke about his love for the club and city:

A year ago it was an easy decision to choose Roma, and today it is even easier – after a season that helped me fall in love with this team and this city...I would like to thank the club for giving me the opportunity to tie myself even closer to these colours – it is exactly what I wanted.

CEO Guido Fienga spoke to the reciprocal nature of the deal:

This decision underlines the conviction, shared by both the player and the club, that Roma is where Nicolo can realise the vast potential that so excited the fans last season,” club chief executive Guido Fienga said.

We are certain that he will play a huge role for this team in the future

Even the most skeptical and jaded fans among us can rejoice at this, as it should keep the wolves at bay for a couple more seasons at least. And who knows, if Zaniolo's ascendancy continues and the bond between player and club grows even stronger, perhaps this will simply be the first of many new pacts between Roma and Zaniolo.

We still don't know exactly what this kid is, but his performance last season—not to mention the way he roasted Real Madrid last week—portends an incredibly promising future, one that looks like it will be tinged red and yellow.