Official: Udinese extends contract with 30-year-old captain Kallstrom until June 2028.

Udinese announced on Thursday that they have renewed the contract of captain Jesper Kallstrom. The new contract extends the original summer's expiry date by two years, until June 30, 2028.

The 30-year-old Kallstrom was born in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, and began his professional career with Brommapojka in the domestic league. He then played for Djurgården and Lech Poznań before joining Udinese in August 2024 for €2 million.

During his time at Udinese, Kallstrom primarily played as a defensive midfielder. He has made 74 appearances for Udinese in 79 matches to date, scoring one goal and providing three assists.

Regarding the contract extension, Udinese general manager Franco Colavino explained: "Extending captain Jesper's contract is of great significance. This move will further strengthen our team's strength for some time to come."

He added, “Karlström quickly integrated into the team after joining, demonstrating a strong sense of belonging and leadership both on and off the field. He is an internationally-caliber player and is expected to be a key player for Sweden in the next World Cup. He has had a very positive impact on mentality and has set an example for many young talents in the team. For this reason, we are very pleased that Jesper can continue to stay at the club.”

Kallstrom said: "I am delighted to continue playing for Udinese. Udinese is an important club, and it is a great honor for me to be its captain. I can't wait to end this season on a high note and continue to serve the club for the next two years, working together with everyone to achieve new goals."

“I am grateful for the club’s trust in me and for the fans’ love. I have deeply experienced the values of Udinese and its people over the past two seasons, and I am happy to represent them on the pitch.”

With only three league matches remaining in the season, Udinese currently sits in eighth place in Serie A with a record of 13 wins, 8 draws, and 14 losses, accumulating 47 points. Kallstrom commented, "We've performed well this season, but our goal is to reach 50 points. I believe we can achieve that, but we must remain focused, especially in Saturday's game. We know the atmosphere at Cagliari's home ground is quite challenging. We played well because of our tremendous effort. We train hard day after day, and we are a very strong team."

Kallstrom concluded by pointing out that Udinese still has goals to achieve in the next two years: "Qualifying for European competition is difficult, but not impossible. It's one of our goals. My dream is to play for Udinese. Reaching European competition requires hard work, but I believe it's still possible. If we can retain most of this year's players, I believe we can maintain our current squad and work ethic. Anything is possible."

Image source: Internet