Juventus have got themselves into a bit of a pickle with Dusan Vlahovic.
Signed on his 22nd birthday for a whopping €83.5 million, the Serb was seen by the Turin fans as a saviour. The club wanted him at all costs and he was signed on a five-year deal worth €19.44 million a season (€12 million net), making him the best-paid player in Serie A.
Since then, the Serb has hit the back of the net 58 times for the Old Lady in 145 games. Not the most prolific, but a nonetheless respectable return.
Get the hint, you’re not wanted
However, with Juve struggling around the turn of the year, head coach Thiago Motta started to lose faith in his centre forward. And when Igor Tudor took over the reins from Motta in March, Vlahovic found himself permanently left on the fringes of the first team.
It was the wrong time for the Serb’s contract to be up for renewal. The club offered a new deal, but on a vastly reduced salary. Vlahovic felt betrayed, which may have contributed to his abject 2025 form. He refused to take the new deal.
This has left the Bianconero with a problem. They don’t want to lose Dusan on a free next summer and they don’t want to carry on paying a massive salary for a player who is about to lose his place in the first team altogether, now that new general manager Daniel Comolli has signed free agent Jonathan David to spearhead Juve’s attack.
However, there is little chance of any club in the world matching Vlahovic’s enormous salary, let alone pay the €25-€30 million transfer fee that Juve are demanding.
Discount available, but will United pounce?
According to Gazzetta dello Sport (today’s paper edition, page 6), United and AC Milan are both interested in the 25 year old.
The outlet reports that Comolli “met Vlahovic in the US and in the next few days will meet the Serbian’s entourage, expected in Turin this week. A summit to update and try to find a compromise.
“From the obvious sale (starting from a valuation of 25-30 million, less than half the purchase price) to the one-year bridge renewal to allow the former Fiorentina player to relaunch himself on loan.”
The phrase “starting from a valuation of” suggests that Juventus would gladly settle for a low-ball offer. Ironically, the Turin club are negotiating with United to sign Jadon Sancho, whose situation is almost identical.
A transfer fee of £20 million or under for the former Fiorentina man must be very tempting, but with the striker refusing to take a pay cut, there seems no way that either the Red Devils or Milan will be able to come to terms with him over a transfer.
The loan idea is a minefield for Juve. It means offering a new one-year contract starting in 2026, hoping he can prove himself on loan in the coming season They would no doubt be looking for a loan that involved an obligation to buy next summer. If Juve pay a portion of his wages in 2025/26, United (or any other club) might be tempted to take a chance on Vlahovic – but they are unlikely to agree to a compulsory purchase if the player demands the same salary that he is on now.
If the loan doesn’t include an obligation to buy, Juventus could find themselves right back at square one next summer, carrying an unsellable player on a massive salary for another 12 months.
The logical conclusion to this saga is that Comolli will have to cut his losses and offer Vlahovic on a dry loan, without offering to extend his deal. This will mean no transfer fee, but some saving on the €19 million they will otherwise have to pay for him to sit on the bench for a season.
United might find that a very interesting proposal indeed.
Featured image Francois Nel via Getty Images
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Red Billy
Red Billy is the managing editor of The Peoples Person, author of three books and totally obsessed with football’s transfer market. Billy still insists Matteo Darmian and Alex Telles could have made it at United given half a chance.
