Stuttgart will not sell Sasa Kalajdzic even for £30 million this summer, director Sven Mislintat told Kicker of the reported Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham and Everton target.
With just over a month remaining in the transfer window, a whole host of Premier League clubs are scouring the market for a new number nine.
Regardless of whether or not Harry Kane gets his wish and departs for Manchester City, Tottenham need to find a replacement for the now-departed Carlos Vinicius (FT).
There are understandable concerns at Everton and West Ham too, given the lack of real alternatives for Dominic Calvert-Lewin or Michail Antonio.
But while Stuttgart might have been willing to cash in on Kalajdzic earlier in the summer, the goalposts have moved after the Bundesliga giants brought in nearly £40 million via the sales of Nicolas Gonzalez and Gregor Kobel to Fiorentina and Borussia Dortmund respectively.
Furthermore, with so little time to find a replacement of equal quality, expect the 6ft 7ins target man to be leading the line when Stuttgart kick off the new campaign at home to newly-promoted Greuther Furth on August 14.
Will Sasa Kalajdzic have to wait until 2022 for a Premier League switch?
“Getting a replacement at such a late point in time is very difficult or even impossible. 30 million would not be enough (for Kalajdzic),” said Mislintat, the former Arsenal and Dortmund talent-spotter.
“I would be concerned if we hadn’t already generated 38.5 million euros (in player sales). That was the most important thing in order to make the club economically healthy.”
Newcastle United have also been linked with Kalajdzic, the 2-metre monster who scored 17 times last season and was one of only four players to breach Italy’s steel-capped backline during Euro 2020 (Athletic).
But if Newcastle cannot afford the £13 million required to sign Midtjylland midfielder Jens Cajuste, it is safe to assume Kalajdzic will be out of Steve Bruce’s reach too.
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