Juventus sign new contract with Del Piero

After thirteen months of intense negotiations Juventus have announced in Turin that they have signed star striker Alessandro Del Piero on a new contract.

SS Lazio and Inter were just two of many clubs waiting to step in if talks fell down but the past month has seen positive word on the negotiations coming from Italy and Del Piero - recovering from a knee injury which kept him out of the last half of the season - will stay with the club on a contract which lasts until 2005.

Juventus have met the player's wage demands and from next season he will earn a basic £7 million a season rising to £10 million by the last two years of the deal which has represented a major part of summer business for the Turin club. Del Piero has spent his entire career with Juve and his contract was due to expire next summer risking the player leaving the club for free under the Bosman ruling if Juventus did not sign a new deal with the player.