The Serbian wants to cash in on the $12 million of the last year of his contract. A salary that scares off potential buyers. If he doesn’t move, the club will have to cash in on other players
This time, no photos, no stories or posts with the number 9 as a caption, nothing. Dusan Vlahovic played less than half an hour in the friendly against Borussia Dortmund and left no trace on social media. On the pitch, however, he did make an appearance, provoking the anger of the fans, partly for a few lost balls but above all for that shot on goal with time almost up, which ended up miles away from Kobel’s goal. These are the closing credits of a story that is practically over, kept alive only by a contract that expires in a year and to which the Serbian intends to cling. “I’m staying until the end,” he reportedly told the club in no uncertain terms, reiterating that he has no intention of moving on this summer. Even though he has become a second choice for Igor Tudor and risks becoming a third when the club manages to finalize the permanent signing of Randal Kolo Muani. “You are no longer part of the project,” is the message the club has delivered to him, also through his agent, sidelining him and trying to push him towards the exit door with the arrival of Jonathan David, not number nine (because that number is still on Dusan’s back) but in effect. However, Vlahovic is not giving up, even if it means spending more time on the bench than on the pitch, turning his back on the fans who welcomed him as an idol three and a half years ago — and with whom he has had some disagreements recently — and losing his place in the national team in a World Cup year. It’s a tug-of-war that’s not good for anyone and is blocking the transfer market for the Old Lady, who is forced to sell before she can invest. So much so that the club is slowly resigning itself to the idea of keeping him and cashing in on other players.
How far away are the days when DV9 swore eternal love to his lady. “I’m happy at Juventus, we’re already talking about renewal,” the Serbian said in a long interview with Sports-Predictions in December 2023. Massimiliano Allegri was still on the bench, the coach who has now returned to Milan and continues to wink at him. So far, Vlahovic has said no to Mourinho’s Fenerbahçe, Arabia, and any other destination. No big offers have come in, but the few he has had were not considered up to his standards.
Stalemate— His intention is not to renew (the club has tried to offer him a reduced contract extension), but the player does not want to give up the $12 million net he will receive in 2025-26, thanks to a rising contract signed in January 2022 with the old management, when Maurizio Arrivabene was CEO, and leave for nothing. And the danger is that this is exactly how it will end, because 12 million is too much for Juventus but also for other clubs, especially after a lackluster season. Even for Milan, Vlahovic would not give up part of his salary, not even for Allegri. It is unlikely that the Bianconeri will participate in the signing to strengthen a direct competitor, just as it is unlikely that they will let him leave for a pittance. Without a suitable offer (read: no less than $20 million, more or less the residual cost of Dusan on the balance sheet), Juventus will keep him, but it will be an uphill battle for him. In the meantime, the Bianconeri will have to monetize in other ways: from Miretti to Savona, from Douglas Luiz to Nico Gonzalez to Kelly, there are many players who could leave, but everything is still at a standstill, and so the Old Lady cannot invest.
