Dusan Vlahovic has broken his silence on his departure from Juventus , revealing that the club never offered him a contract extension until the end of last season.
For much of the last three seasons, there were reports that Vlahovic was in discussions with the club and had rejected an offer to renew his contract on a lower salary. Juve wanted him to extend his stay, but for less than he was earning, and he ultimately turned down their efforts to keep him in Turin until his contract expired.
In the final year of his deal, following the arrivals of Lois Openda and Jonathan David , Vlahovic found himself on the bench. That changed when Luciano Spalletti arrived as manager and believed the Serbian was the best striker in the team.
Juve had been prepared to replace Vlahovic and were confident that David would make them forget about the striker, but that never happened. Vlahovic has now left the Bianconeri and signed for Besiktas, where he hopes to continue his career.
The Serbian has now explained his experience at Juve and disputed reports surrounding his contract situation, insisting that the club did not hold a specific discussion with him about a renewal until the end of the season.
Vlahovic also spoke about the pressure he faced from supporters and the media, explaining that he understood why fans believed what they had been told. However, he insisted that the reality was different from what had been reported.
He said via Calciomercato :
"There was pressure from the public, the media, and the fans… I completely understand the fans who read and accept what they're fed. In three years, no matter how much has been written about my contract renewal with Juventus , I didn't have a single specific conversation with the club's management until the end of the season. The last time we spoke, we didn't reach an agreement. There was a lot of talk about me asking for various conditions, but there was a lot of pressure on me that bothered me, because I know the truth and I know what happened."
Vlahovic's comments provide his account of what happened during his time at Juventus. After leaving the Bianconeri, he will now look to establish himself at Besiktas and continue his career away from Turin.
His departure brings an end to a difficult final period at Juve, where his future had been the subject of considerable speculation. Vlahovic has now made clear that he believes the reality behind those reports was different from the version that had been widely discussed.
