MOSCOW, July 30. /TASS/. Russian football club Zenit St. Petersburg has extended a contract with the national team’s forward Artyom Dzyuba, the club’s press office announced on Thursday.
According to the press service, the club signed the deal with the 31-year-old striker for two more years with an option for stretching it out for an additional year.
"Zenit football club congratulates Artyom Dzyuba on prolonging our mutual cooperation and wishes him success both on the field and beyond it," the statement from the club reads.
The statement quoted Dzyuba as saying after inking the contract: "We have gone a long way to achieve this and I am very glad now to keep playing for this marvelous club."
"It’s a huge honor for me to remain with this club and I hope that together with Zenit, we will win more trophies," Dzyuba continued. "I have great expectations, both personally and on the behalf of the club."
"There are no limits to perfection and we will continue to prove that we’re still going strong, and by the way we play, we will try to disprove everyone who believes that it’s impossible to make it much better," the footballer pledged.
Alexander Medvedev, the director general of Zenit St. Petersburg FC, told TASS that it did not take long to sign the contract, which eventually satisfied both the club and Dzyuba.
"We have signed the contract under the 2+1 scheme," Medvedev said. "I hope that Artyom [Dzyuba] will be playing during next three seasons just like he did during this and the previous seasons and will remain among the best strikers of our club."
"Dzyuba’s salary consists of two parts - the basic package plus bonuses," Medvedev said without disclosing the total sum of the signed deal. "We are not disclosing the figures, but we [the club] and Artyom are both satisfied."
Dzyuba, who is also the captain of the Russian national football team, has been playing for Zenit St. Petersburg FC since 2015 and in the past season of the Russian Premier League (RPL) he chalked up 17 goals and 13 assists in 28 matches leading Zenit St. Petersburg FC to win the RPL Championship and to later clinch the Russian Cup.
During his stint with the national squad, Dzyuba scored 24 goals in his 42-match appearances, which ranks as the third best result in the history of the Russian national football team.