Besiktas have completed the signing of former Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic, who has joined the club as a free agent after leaving the Italian side at the end of last season.
The 26-year-old forward spent four-and-a-half years with Juventus, scoring 68 goals in 168 appearances across all competitions. His time in Turin ended after Juventus decided not to extend his contract, which was regarded as an expensive commitment for the club.
Vlahovic was subsequently available without a transfer fee and had attracted interest from clubs in both the Premier League and LaLiga. However, no interested side was prepared to meet his wage demands, leaving Besiktas in a position to secure his signature.
Besiktas are understood to have agreed a three-year contract with Vlahovic. The deal is reportedly worth €8m per season, with performance-related bonuses capable of increasing his annual earnings to €10m.
The move also sees Vlahovic reunite with Vincenzo Italiano, his former manager at Fiorentina. The striker enjoyed a particularly productive spell under Italiano, scoring 20 goals in 24 matches during the six months they worked together in the 2020-21 season.
Vlahovic’s arrival gives Besiktas a forward with substantial experience at the highest level of European football. During his Juventus career, he consistently featured for the club in domestic and continental competition, while his overall record of 68 goals from 168 matches made him one of the team’s leading attacking players during his four-and-a-half-year stay.
His departure from Juventus followed the club’s decision not to renew his contract, rather than a transfer agreement with another team. That allowed Besiktas to bring him in without paying a transfer fee, although the reported salary package makes the deal a significant financial commitment.
Before reaching an agreement with Besiktas, Vlahovic had been linked with a move to England or Spain. Those possible transfers did not materialise because of the salary terms involved. Besiktas ultimately confirmed that the former Juventus striker would continue his career in Turkey on a contract running for three years.
The reunion with Italiano will be another notable feature of the transfer. Vlahovic scored 20 times in 24 games during their brief period together at Fiorentina, and Besiktas will hope that relationship can help him reproduce that level of form.
