Dušan Vlahović leaves Juventus, and as a free agent - without a single euro for the coffers of the club that three and a half years ago shelled out over 80 million euros to bring him from Fiorentina. His contract expires on June 30, talks over a new one collapsed this week, and a story that was meant to last for years ends empty-handed for Turin.

The Serbian striker sat down with management for a talk that was supposed to settle everything. It settled nothing. Vlahović wants a bigger salary than Juventus is willing to offer, and when neither side budges an inch, the end is just a matter of a date.

The numbers behind the story aren't bad - 68 goals in 168 appearances across all competitions. But the eighty million bought the expectation that he'd be the pillar of the attack for the next decade, and that expectation never turned into consistency. There was a flash, there were goals, there was no continuity.

Last season was wrecked by injury - a serious muscle problem in November that required surgery and kept him out for more than four months. He came back strong toward the end, but by then it was already too late for the contract.

Sporting director Giorgio Chiellini didn't hide his bitterness: "I'm sad because I wanted Dušan to stay - he cares about the club. But he wants a bigger salary. Under the current terms, he won't stay in Italy." Translated from diplomatic into plain language: the money didn't match.

Interest, however, is anything but lacking. Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Newcastle and Barcelona have already contacted his representatives, and Napoli is in the running especially since Massimiliano Allegri took over the bench - the coach who managed Vlahović in Turin. A free striker at 26 with a CV like that rarely goes without offers for long. The question isn't whether he'll find a club, but who will pay the salary Juventus refused.