Ibrahima Konaté. Frenkie de Jong. Bernardo Silva. Marc Guéhi. Rodrigo Bentancur. What do all of these players have in common? They’ve all entered the final year of their contracts, and in less than three months from now, they’ll be eligible to sign a pre-contract with a foreign club and arrange a free transfer for the upcoming summer transfer window. Another looming free agent who looks set to be a prized commodity in 2026 is Dušan Vlahović.

By Zach Lowy

Born in Belgrade, Serbia, Vlahović launched his professional career with Partizan, where he became the club’s youngest-ever debutant and youngest-ever goalscorer. These sensational displays attracted the interest of Fiorentina, who signed him for €3.2 million in 2018. After gradually adjusting to life in Italy and balancing his time between the reserves and first team, Vlahović took Italian football by storm in 2020/21 with 21 goals in 37 appearances, winning the Serie A Best Young Player award before backing that up with a stellar start to the 2021/22 season with La Viola.

Four years after leaving his hometown for Italy, Vlahović had the world at his feet. He had scored more Serie A goals than any other player since the start of the 2020/21 campaign, he was the only player born after 2000 to have scored at least 40 goals in Europe’s top five leagues alongside Erling Haaland, and the second player to score 33+ Serie A goals in a calendar year after Cristiano Ronaldo in 2020. It’s why Juventus decided to shell out a Serie A winter transfer window record fee of €70 million for Vlahović, who signed a 4.5-year contract on January 28, 2022, the day of his 22nd birthday. Five months after selling Ronaldo to Manchester United, Juventus had found themselves their new world-class attacking talisman capable of elevating the team to extraordinary heights. At least, so they thought.

The Serbian sharpshooter enjoyed a bright start to life in Turin, scoring on his debut vs. Hellas Verona, finding the back of the net just 33 seconds into his UEFA Champions League debut vs. Villarreal, netting in the Coppa Italia Final vs. Inter, and racking up 9 goals in 21 appearances in all competitions for Juve. However, he has struggled to build on this initial momentum and become a consistent difference-maker in the final third; after scoring 21 goals and 29 goals in 2020/21 and 2021/22, Vlahović has since scored 14, 17, and 18 goals for La Vecchia Signora.

“Vlahović has had to work with different managers, tactics that don’t suit his best attributes, and a club that simply doesn’t have a stable environment, a good portion of the time” stated Danny Penza of the Juventus blog Black & White & Read All Over. “Plus, there’s the expectations of trying to live up to both the club-record transfer fee for a January transfer and the highest salary in Serie A that he has been paid the last couple of years. Like a lot of strikers, he’s incredibly streaky, but just when you think that one of those hot streaks might be extended a little longer (or more) than the last one, he goes cold. And as much as there is talent there, it’s hard to think he’s really gotten much better than when he first signed with Juventus.”

Vlahović thrived as a poacher in Florence thanks to his ability to linger on the last line of defence, make diligent runs in behind, and coolly finish chances inside the box, but at Juventus, he’s been tasked with dropping deeper and linking up with teammates. Whereas Vlahović could use his rampant speed and physical brute strength to his advantage and exploit counter-attacking situations and make the most out of the vacant space, he’s been forced to adapt his game towards holding up the ball against deep blocks and making the ball stick in congested areas. And whilst he managed to replicate his high-volume shooting metrics in Piedmont, he hasn’t been able to showcase the same efficiency in the final third that he displayed in Tuscany. After leading Serie A in big chances missed (19) in 2023/24, Vlahović ranked third for Expected Goals per 90 (0.63) and joint-second for Shots on Target per 90 (1.5) in 2024/25 but finished with just 10 league goals (four from the penalty spot). 

Whether it’s the monumental pressure of playing for one of Europe’s biggest clubs, or the managerial turmoil that has seen him play under Max Allegri, Thiago Motta and now Igor Tudor, or the general instability of a Juventus side that has lost veteran leaders like Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci and Paulo Dybala and that has seen its Scudetto dynasty drift further and further into the rearview mirror, it is undeniable that Vlahović has failed to live up to his lofty price tag and expectations. It’s why Juventus signed not one, but two new centre forwards this past summer: Jonathan David and Loïs Openda. After scoring off the bench in his first two matches, Vlahović started their next two league fixtures (in addition to scoring a brace and an assist in a half-hour vs Borussia Dortmund), before coming off the bench vs. Atalanta and Villarreal.

“You would think a 6’3” striker would be good at holding up the play, but he’s not,” added Penza. “He’s got an inconsistent control of the ball at best; his first touch lets him down a lot. He’s got a petulant streak to him, but then he goes out and does what he did vs. Borussia Dortmund, and you just wonder where that kind of stuff is more often. He’s a talented player, but an incredibly frustrating one — and certainly somebody who has not lived up to his €12 million annual salary or that big transfer fee.”

Having started three different centre forwards in Juventus’ last three games, it remains to be seen who Igor Tudor will select for Sunday’s match vs. Serie A leaders Milan. It remains to be seen whether Juventus will end their current run of four draws or whether Milan can extend their winning run to six matches. However, one thing is for sure: unlike Jonathan David and Loïs Openda, Dušan Vlahović’s long-term future is far away the Allianz Stadium.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow the every Juventus game with FotMob – with in-depth stat coverage including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.