Howedes happy to delay talks over Juventus future

Benedikt Howedes says he is happy to wait until the end of the season to discuss whether he will join Juventus on a permanent transfer.

Injuries have restricted Howedes to three Serie A starts during a season-long loan spell from Schalke, although the Germany international is now fit and available.

Juve had an obligation to convert the loan into a permanent deal worth up to €16million if Howedes made at least 25 appearances.

But with the 30-year-old falling short of that figure he has not yet been told whether Juve intend to buy him from Schalke or not.

“We’re waiting until we finish the season before we discuss my future, because the most important thing for us is winning the title and the Coppa Italia,” Howedes told Juventus’ website. 

“Unfortunately, I haven’t played that much but right now I’m in good shape and I’ve played a few games in row, so now I can show my quality and after the season is over we can sit down and talk.”

The team got their #JuveBologna prep on in the Vinovo rain #FinoAllaFine #ForzaJuve pic.twitter.com/0O5KuFMsSx

— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) May 2, 2018

Juventus are four points clear of Napoli at the top of the table, with the Coppa Italia final against AC Milan to come next week.

And Howedes is hoping Juve can end his year at the club with a domestic double despite disappointment in the Champions League.

“Winning Serie A would be my first major title,” said Howedes. “I’ve previously won the DFB-Pokal and DFL-Supercup with Schalke, but never a league title. It would be an amazing achievement for me and hopefully we can continue to play well until the end of the season.

“I think we’ve had a lot of moments in the season where there’s been several big matches in a row, and we’ve also had a lot of games to contend with. The important thing is that we keep going and carry on pushing forward until the end of the season.”

Juve will be crowned top-flight champions this weekend if they win at home to Bologna and Napoli suffer what would be a surprise loss against Torino.