Italian football journalist Alfredo Pedulla reveals the backstory of how the talks between Juventus and Dusan Vlahovic hit a snag.
The Bianconeri signed the Serbian bomber from their rivals Fiorentina in January 2022 for a whopping €85 million. His contract also includes a loyalty bonus that sees his wages rising with every new campaign. So after three years at Continassa, he has now become the highest earner in Serie A with an astronomical net salary of 12 million euros.
Needless to say, the 25-year-old has hardly produced the sort of displays that warrant these figures, at least not on a consistent basis. Therefore, the Serie A giants have been desperate to negotiate a new deal with the striker and his agent Darko Ristic, and for several reasons.
For one, the player’s current deal will expire in June 2026, so unless they manage to push back the deadline, Juventus will be forced to sell him next summer to avoid losing him for free a year later – a manoeuvre they also deployed with Federico Chiesa last summer.
Moreover, the management is hoping to convince the striker to accept more affordable wages. But as Pedulla explains, their attempts have thus far been futile, as he reveals some behind-the-scenes anecdotes.
“In 2022, the Vlahovic coup for many would have been the panacea for all ills,” said the famous Italian journalist on his YouTube channel (via JuventusNews24).
“Now it’s been three years and it has become a big problem. I’ll tell you a behind-the-scenes story about the last real dialogue, where they decided to continue until the contract ran out.
“12 million for the loyalty bonus. That is just madness. Now they’re paying for these follies. If we said it’s not a problem, we would be lying to ourselves.
“The air had become heavy since September, when the agent said that they were not willing to spread the salary. That money was promised to him, so what could you do now?
“There was a secret meeting in December, and the club directors said they can renew with a solution that is good for everyone, but on the other hand, Vlahovic said they should continue with the same terms and see what happens. Little by little, the player lost his touch, and Motta then chose Kolo Muani.”
The French striker joined Juventus on loan from PSG and immediately made his debut as a starter against Napoli, and even managed to score the opener, albeit the contest ended with a defeat.
