Paris Saint-Germain have tied Marco Verratti down to a new five-year contract on Tuesday, when the midfielder signed an improved deal that lasts until 2021.
The French champions made the news official on Friday, but the Italy international's agent, Donato Di Campli, shared the occasion through his Twitter account as the signing happened a few days before.
@MarcoVerratti1 al @PSG_inside fino al 2021. 37 min netti in 5 anni, bonus compresi. Colpaccio di @donatodicampli pic.twitter.com/W5Y7QO192c
- Alessandro Alciato (@AAlciato) August 2, 2016
It is Verratti's fourth contract extension since he joined PSG back in the summer of 2012, and the 23-year-old's prolonging his stay in the capital has become something of an annual event at the Parc des Princes.
In fact, the fans have been treated to such good news twice this year, as the former Pescara man only signed his most recent new deal back in February.
However, this latest contract is arguably the most important one Verratti has signed since joining PSG.
The Azzurri star has renewed terms for the first time since talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic left the club for Manchester United, and Les Parisiens' No. 6 is now expected to take over from the Sweden international as the Ligue 1 giant's main star.
On the pitch, Verratti is a vital player. He might not have featured much last season because of a nagging groin problem that eventually required term-ending surgery -- and also ruled him out of the 2016 European Championships -- but it was clear in certain matches that PSG missed him badly.
Adrien Rabiot did a good job of filling in for his teammate, but ultimately Laurent Blanc's men suffered without Verratti in the most important games.
Things have changed in Paris over the summer; Laurent Blanc is now gone and Unai Emery is in charge, but Verratti still appears to play a key role in the French capital outfit's ambitious plans for the future.
A lot is expected of the tenacious midfielder this coming season after his injury-riddled 2015-16 term and Euro absence, but he is yet to feature this preseason. PSG are clearly refusing to rush him back to action in order to avoid a possible relapse and to ensure that he is available all season long.
Once Verratti does get back on the pitch -- possibly starting against Olympique Lyonnais in the Trophee des Champions at Worthersee Stadion in Klagenfurt, Austria, this weekend -- it will be interesting to see how he fits into Emery's plans.
PSG have spent a lot of their time so far this preseason lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, and Verratti will presumably take his place in the defensive midfield pair alongside summer signing Grzegorz Krychowiak in the Spanish tactician's strongest XI.
However, until Verratti proves that he is back to full fitness, he will have to make do with being bled slowly back into action.
When combined with Krychowiak, familiar midfield allies Thiago Motta, Adrien Rabiot and Blaise Matuidi, or youth academy graduate Lorenzo Callegari, the man from Pescara will form part of a flexible unit that can switch between the attack-minded 4-2-3-1 and the possession-based 4-3-3 almost seamlessly.
Verratti offers fantastic short- and long-range passing, an almost unrivalled ability to retain possession with his Velcro-like ball control and the ability to dictate the pace of PSG's play, to name just a few of his strongest attributes.
He is not just a valuable asset on the pitch, though. The pint-sized terrier is also an integral figure off it, and securing his future was absolutely crucial after Ibrahimovic's departure. If the club had lost Verratti and the super Swede in the same summer, the project may well have never recovered.
The Italian, although still a youngster, is one of the most recognisable names at PSG and his popularity among supporters is almost unrivalled -- Javier Pastore is the only obvious exception.
With Zlatan now gone, Verratti can make this team his own and become Emery's most influential player. Considering how well he was playing before he got injured, a return to form and fitness will see him regain the keys to the side. It is then up to him to keep them.