Dusan Vlahovic's Future: Juventus Contract Talks and Bayern Interest

Dusan Vlahovic is playing for Juventus. His future, though, is very much playing elsewhere.

The Serbian striker and the club have been locked in talks over a new deal, but the gap between what he wants and what the Old Lady is prepared to pay is not narrowing. It is yawning. Vlahovic, 26, wants to keep his current €12 million net salary. Juventus are offering roughly half.

For a player who has just come off the bench and decided a tight league game with a single, ruthless finish in a 1-0 win, this is not a man negotiating from weakness. He knows it. So do Juventus. So do the clubs circling.

A star who won’t commit

After that match-winning cameo, Vlahovic was asked the question that now follows him everywhere: is this it for him in Turin? His answer was as sharp as his left foot, and just as cutting for Juve’s hierarchy.

“My last two games for Juve? We’ll see…,” he said.

No pledge of loyalty. No soothing line for the fans. Just a pause, and a possibility.

Inside the stadium, though, you would not have known there was a contract stand-off. The Curva Sud roared his name, a reminder that whatever the spreadsheets say, the bond between striker and supporters remains strong. By all accounts, Vlahovic feels settled in Piedmont. Comfortable city, big club, a dressing room he knows.

But comfort does not pay like a superstar contract. And somewhere between those two realities, the future is stuck.

Bayern and Barcelona wait in the shadows

La Gazzetta dello Sport has already framed the story in broader terms: Vlahovic wants to wait. Not for Juventus to move, but to see if a heavyweight elsewhere pushes its chips into the middle.

Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona are both watching closely as they search for a long-term successor to Robert Lewandowski. The Pole’s shadow still stretches over both clubs. Bayern never truly replaced him. Barcelona did, but must already think about what comes next.

Vlahovic has long been on Bayern’s radar. Their interest dates back to early 2022, when he left Fiorentina for Juventus. Just a few days ago, the same Italian outlet reported that Munich is his preferred destination if he walks away from Turin.

The idea is clear: Bayern want another No 9 in the building. On paper, Vlahovic would not arrive as the undisputed starter. He would likely operate as backup to Nicolas Jackson, whose own future in Bavaria is already defined. The Senegalese forward, on loan from Chelsea, will leave at the end of the season; sporting director Max Eberl has confirmed Bayern will not trigger his buy-out clause.

So a vacancy is coming. The question is whether Bayern see Vlahovic as the man to fill it – and at what price.

Money, pressure and a shrinking wage bill

Juventus have drawn a line at around half of Vlahovic’s current salary. Bayern, historically, run a tight wage structure of their own. Even a club of their scale is under pressure to trim costs, and Eberl has been tasked with bringing the payroll down, not inflating it.

That is where the story becomes more complicated. Matching a €12 million net salary is not a minor detail in a dressing room where every new contract is a reference point for the next negotiation. Bayern must weigh the cost of a premium striker against the risk of unsettling the rest of the squad.

The German champions are also spreading their scouting net wider. Rumours from Germany and England link them with Antony Gordon of Newcastle United, a different profile of forward – quick, versatile, able to operate across the front line rather than as a pure No 9.

According to The Athletic, Gordon is viewed as an alternative to RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande, another player who would demand a hefty fee. Recent reports also mention Newcastle’s William Osula and Atalanta’s Charles De Ketelaere. Kicker describes De Ketelaere as Bayern’s first alternative to Gordon, a sign that the club’s recruitment strategy is not built around a single name.

Bayern, then, are not locked on Vlahovic alone. He is one option in a wider plan, a piece in a puzzle that also includes age, versatility and financial discipline.

Fitness questions and mixed signals

There is another issue: Vlahovic’s body. His talent is not in doubt, but his availability has been. A stubborn adductor problem has kept him out for a lengthy spell, raising questions about how quickly he can return to full match rhythm.

He did score on his return to the Juventus squad, coming off the bench to find the net in a 1-1 draw with Hellas Verona. The finish was a reminder of what he offers – penalty-box presence, sharp movement, a cold eye for goal even after time away.

Yet Corriere dello Sport notes that it is still unclear what kind of signals, if any, Bayern have actually sent to the player. Interest is one thing. A concrete offer, especially one that respects his salary demands, is another.

For now, Vlahovic stands at a crossroads. Juventus want to keep him, but not at any price. Bayern and Barcelona are watching, but their own financial and tactical calculations are still in motion. The supporters chant his name. The striker scores, shrugs, and says, “We’ll see.”

At some point, someone will have to move first.