Bologna aiming to extend the contract of young striker

Bologna have seen an uprise of success in their recent history, as the club shifted their focuses. They started to look towards holding on to youth talent as they way for them to go forward. This was instead of the typical model which was to buy players from below and try to be successful sporting wise to pay off debts.

This new focus has worked extrendorinaly well for Bologna, qualifying for Uefa Champions League two years ago and winning the Coppa Italia last season. This success has seen the big sides like Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan rush to copy their formula, setting up U23 sides to play in Serie B.

Vincenzo Italiano, Head Coach of Bologna, lifts the Coppa Italia trophy to celebrates with fans following the Serie A match between Bologna and Genoa…

Bologna saw these success as bright spots but other sides saw this as a temporary rise in form. This was because they would sell of these young talents instead of holding onto them, and building a project for the future. This was due to the sales of young players such as Riccardo Calafiori and Joshua Zirkzee.

Now however, they have shifted their focus to try and hold onto these young players and build a squad for the future, This philosophy has been supported by a new piece of news from Nico Schira via X. This is that they are looking to extend the contract of Argentinian striker Santiago Castro.

Castro came on to the scene strong last season, playing in 47 games for Bologna last season. This lead to him earning 17 goals/assists and earning the trust of the coaching staff. This has been rewarded this season with more game time, seeing him score 4 goals already this campaign, and soon a contract extension until 2030.