Stuttgart CEO Thomas Hitzlsperger said the Bundesliga club need to sell this summer in what could be a timely transfer boost for the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United, while speaking to Kicker.
After earning promotion back to the top flight in 2020, both Stuttgart and Arminia Bielefeld secured their survival in very different ways.
While Arminia were made to wait until the very last day, retaining their Bundesliga status despite scoring just 26 times in 34 matches, an exciting, youthful Stuttgart side finished closer to the Europa League places than the drop zone.
Relegation was never a concern for a team who thumped Dortmund 5-1 at the Signal Iduna Park last December.
Much of the credit behind their eventual ninth-place finish goes to Sasa Kalajdzic, the Austria international striker who made very good use of his 6ft 7ins frame during a superb debut campaign in the big leagues.
Newcastle United, Everton, West Ham and Tottenham have all been linked with Stuttgart’s £15 million-rated, 16-goal top scorer.
But the lanky targetman needed a little help from his friends of course.
Many of Kalajdzic’s goals were set up by the lethal left-foot of Borna Sosa, the Beckham-esque full-back who has emerged as an £18 million target for Leeds United, according to his agent.
With Hitzlsperger laying bare Stuttgart’s financial problems, could two of the Bundesliga’s up-and-coming talents be playing Premier League football next season?
The vultures are circling for Stuttgart
“We can’t avoid selling players. We need the transfer proceeds to create room for us,” said the former Aston Villa midfielder.
Stuttgart recently announced losses of around £40 million, a situation exacerbated by the COVID pandemic.
As well as Kalajdzic, Tottenham have also been linked with Argentina international schemer Nicolas Gonzalez and goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, although the latter is set for Borussia Dortmund.
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