Lazio Stalwart’s Contract Talks Postponed – Real Madrid Looming on the Horizon | OneFootball

Lazio and Mario Gila have reportedly agreed to delay their contract negotiations till next summer, while Real Madrid continue to monitor the situation from afar.

The Background

The Catalan started his career at CF Damm and then had a spell at Espanyol before representing Los Blancos’ B-team, otherwise known as Real Madrid Castilla. The Biancocelesti then poached the centre-back’s signature in the summer of 2022 for just €6 million, but the Spanish giants maintained a 50% sell-on fee as well as a first-refusal option.

The Sudden Rise

Gila initially struggled to earn playing time at Maurizio Sarri’s court, and the Italian capital club was willing to give up on him in January 2024. However, an injury crisis granted him the opportunity to showcase his worth, and he hasn’t looked back since. The Barcelona native is now considered the ultimate first choice at the back for Marco Baroni.

Lazio & Mario Gila to Discuss New Contract Next Summer

But according to Il Corriere dello Sport, Lazio have yet to register concrete progress in their extension talks with the player’s agent, Alejandro Camano. The two parties met recently, but it was only a routine summit. Hence, they agreed to postpone their negotiations until June when the picture would become clearer.

In the meantime, Gila remains one of the club’s lowest earners with a yearly net salary of circa €1 million. Nevertheless, the player isn’t making a fuss about this fact, as he’s happy to bide his time while knowing that the best has yet to come. For their part, the Aquile remain in a comfortable position since they have the player under contract until June 2027.

Real Madrid Option

However, the Roman newspaper insists that Real Madrid could still pounce on the opportunity to bring back their youth product. In this case, their 50% sell-on fee would transmit into a discount allowing them to sign the player for half the price.

For their part, Lazio could be willing to sell their stalwart for the right price, but if they don’t receive an appropriate offer, they would also be happy to keep the defender around, but a long-term contract would be necessary in this case.