Vlahović set to leave Juventus: negotiations stalled over salary, Premier League watching the outcome
Dušan Vlahović has entered the final month of his contract with Juventus, and according to the latest reports from Italian and European media, a continuation of the cooperation looks increasingly unlikely. The Serbian striker’s current contract expires on June 30, 2026, which means he could become a free agent from July 1 if a new agreement with the Turin club is not signed by then. Negotiations in recent weeks have focused on extending the contract with a significantly lower salary, but the available information indicates that the club and the player’s camp have not found a common model. Juventus has not yet issued official confirmation of a separation, but media reports from Italy and Spain describe the negotiations as a finished or almost finished story. Such an outcome would make Vlahović one of the highest-profile free strikers on the European market in the summer of 2026.
The contract expires on June 30, and no agreement has been found
The key problem in the negotiations concerns the financial terms of the new contract. Football Italia reported at the end of May that talks between Vlahović’s camp and Juventus had stalled because of the structure of a possible new contract, including questions of salary, bonuses and additional fees. The same source states that Vlahović, in the final year of his contract, had one of the highest salaries in Serie A, which Italian media estimate at around 12 million euros net per season. According to those reports, Juventus sought a solution that would significantly reduce the annual wage burden, while extending the cooperation and fitting the striker into the club’s new financial policy. The difference between what the club was prepared to offer and what the player’s camp considered acceptable proved to be the decisive obstacle.
Such a situation is not a surprise for the market because Vlahović’s name has been appearing for months among the most interesting players whose contracts expire in the summer of 2026. Transfermarkt states in the player’s profile that Vlahović’s contract with Juventus is valid until June 30, 2026, and the same information is also confirmed by a number of specialized media outlets that follow Italian football. Since he is a player who arrived in January 2022 as a long-term solution in attack, the possibility of leaving without a transfer fee represents a major turnaround compared with Juventus’s initial investment. At one stage, the club could count on the striker’s significant market value, but the approaching end of the contract gradually reduced its negotiating power. In practice, if the contract expires without an extension, the new club would not have to pay Juventus a transfer fee, but the financial package for the player could include a high salary, a signing bonus and commissions.
From a major investment to a possible departure without a transfer fee
Vlahović’s arrival at Juventus was one of the most expensive and most notable deals of the 2022 winter transfer window. Juventus announced in an official financial statement at the time that it had reached an agreement with Fiorentina on a permanent transfer worth 70 million euros, payable over three financial years, with additional costs and solidarity contributions under FIFA rules in the amount of 11.6 million euros. In public announcements, the club emphasized Vlahović’s efficiency at Fiorentina, especially his 20 goals in 24 appearances in the first part of the 2021/2022 season across Serie A and the Coppa Italia. At that moment, Juventus saw in him a striker around whom the team could be built after a period in which the club was searching for a new attacking axis following Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure.
Four and a half years later, the story is considerably more complex. Vlahović has had periods of high efficiency in Turin, but also periods of injuries, coaching changes, tactical adjustments and an uneven team rhythm. The Spanish outlet AS states in its latest report that Vlahović has made 168 appearances for Juventus, scoring 68 goals and providing 16 assists, while winning the Coppa Italia. Those numbers confirm that he is not a failed player, but at the same time they explain why the discussion about his contract has become a matter of broader club strategy, not merely a sporting impression. Juventus has had to manage costs more carefully in recent years, and the salary of the most expensive player in the squad has become a topic that goes beyond the pitch itself.
For Juventus this is both a sporting and a financial issue
Vlahović’s possible departure opens up two parallel problems for Juventus. The first is sporting, because the club must decide who will be the central striker next season in a team being built under Luciano Spalletti. Juventus officially announced in April that Spalletti had extended his contract until June 30, 2028, giving the coach a clearer framework for continuing his work and planning the transfer window. In such a context, the status of the first striker cannot remain open for too long, especially if the club wants to stabilize the squad before the start of preparations. Vlahović’s profile, height, play with his back to goal and finishing ability are difficult to replace without a major investment or a change in tactical approach.
The second problem is financial. By losing him without a transfer fee, Juventus would lose the possibility of collecting a transfer payment for a player in whom it invested a large sum, but at the same time it would remove one of the heaviest individual obligations from the wage bill. That is precisely why Italian media describe the situation as unpleasant, but not necessarily one-sidedly negative for the club. If a new contract is not possible under terms that suit the club’s budget, separation can be a way to free up room for a different distribution of salaries and the arrival of several players. On the other hand, the sporting risk remains obvious: quality strikers on the market are rarely available without strong competition, and replacing a player of Vlahović’s reputation can hardly be cheap.
The Premier League sees an opportunity, but the terms will not be low
Interest from Premier League clubs is logical because of the financial strength of the English market and the constant demand for strikers who can immediately take on a role at the top of the attack. ESPN reported back in February that Chelsea and Tottenham were monitoring Vlahović’s situation, while other European reports have also mentioned Manchester United and certain clubs outside England in connection with him. It is important to emphasize that the available information does not confirm an official offer or a final agreement with any club. At this stage, it is a matter of monitoring the situation, assessing the financial package and contacts that are common when a player of such a profile approaches free-agent status.
For potential buyers, the advantage is clear: they would not have to pay Juventus a transfer fee. But that does not mean the deal would be cheap. Free agents with a major market reputation often seek a higher salary, a signing bonus and additional commissions because the club signing them is not paying a transfer fee. In Vlahović’s case, an additional factor is his current salary at Juventus and the fact that he is at an age when strikers most often enter the most mature years of their careers. If he agrees to terms that suit the English market, the Premier League could offer him sporting visibility, financial security and a new environment in which he would again try to establish himself as one of Europe’s leading centre-forwards.
What Vlahović brings to a new club
Vlahović is a classic central striker of modern build: tall, strong, left-footed and dangerous in the penalty area, but technically trained enough to participate in combination play. His best football at Fiorentina was based on a steady rhythm of matches, the trust of the team and a clear role as the main finishing point. At Juventus he had to operate in a more changeable environment, which affected continuity, but it did not erase the basic qualities that made him one of the most expensive strikers in Serie A. The club that signs him will not only get a name with great experience, but also a player who has already gone through the pressure of a major transfer, the Italian derby, European matches and international duties. For a team that needs a striker in his prime years, such a profile can be very attractive.
Still, the new club will also have to carefully assess the risks. Vlahović’s contract at Juventus was financially demanding, and the expectations that accompany such a package will also be high in the next environment. His game also requires a system that will provide him with a sufficient number of quality balls in the final third, because he is not a striker whose greatest value lies in constantly dropping deep into midfield. In the Premier League, he would have to adapt to a faster rhythm and a physically demanding schedule, while in other leagues he could find a system that better suits his profile. For that reason, the decision on his next club will be important not only financially but also sportingly, especially after a period in which his status at Juventus gradually turned into an open question.
A separation that would mark the end of one Juventus cycle
If the separation is confirmed, Vlahović’s departure will be a symbolic end to one period of Juventus’s transfer policy. His transfer from Fiorentina was supposed to show that the club could still attract the most sought-after players in Serie A and build a team around a young, elite striker. In the meantime, coaches, sporting goals, financial priorities and the broader picture of the European market have changed. Juventus is now trying to align its ambition to return to the top with a more rational cost structure, and Vlahović’s contract has become one of the most visible issues in that process. That is why his possible departure is not only news about one striker, but also a signal of a change in the way the club manages the most expensive part of the squad.
For the player himself, the summer of 2026 could be a turning point. As a free agent, Vlahović would have a rare negotiating position for a striker in his prime years, but also the obligation to prove that he can still be the spearhead of the attack at a club with the highest ambitions. According to the available information, Premier League clubs are monitoring the outcome precisely because such an opportunity rarely appears without a transfer fee. The final decision will depend on the sporting project, the financial package and the role that a potential new club will offer him. Until official confirmation, the most precise thing to say is that negotiations with Juventus have stalled, that an extension looks increasingly unlikely and that Vlahović is approaching the market as one of the most important free players of the upcoming transfer window.
Sources:
- Juventus Football Club – official financial statement on the transfer of Dušan Vlahović from Fiorentina in January 2022 (link)
- Juventus Football Club – official announcement on Dušan Vlahović’s arrival and his numbers before the transfer to Turin (link)
- Transfermarkt – player profile, date of arrival at Juventus, position and contract expiry date (link)
- Football Italia – report on the stalemate in negotiations between Juventus and Vlahović’s camp over a new contract (link)
- Football Italia – analysis of the reasons why Juventus and Vlahović have not reached an agreement on a contract extension (link)
- ESPN – report on Chelsea and Tottenham’s interest in Dušan Vlahović (link)
- AS – latest report on Vlahović’s market status and a possible departure without a transfer fee (link)
- Juventus Football Club – official announcement on Luciano Spalletti’s contract extension until 2028 (link)