“Not an easy situation”: Manager speaks about £21m Wolves & Newcastle target after dropping him

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Pellegrino Matarazzo has been speaking about Wolves and Newcastle target Sasa Kalajdzic after leaving him out of the VfB Stuttgart squad.

What’s the story?

Well, the Austria international was not involved as VfB Stuttgart beat St Gallen in a friendly on Thursday, and Sven Mislintat – Director of Football at the Bundesliga side – admitted Wolves are interested.

Newcastle and Everton are also said to be keen on signing Kalajdzic.

Now, Matarazzo – who manages VfB Stuttgart – has revealed it is “not an easy situation” amid interest from the Premier League, while he also discussed Borna Sosa’s potential move to Atalanta.

As quoted by ZVW, the 44-year-old said: “As of now, both are there, but we also know how dynamic the football business is. It’s always about seeing if the pros are ready for the game. These are young players and it’s not an easy situation for them, but I’m optimistic that they both have the right mindset to be on the pitch on Sunday.”

Now, there’s a lot to unpack there.

Matarazzo has clearly left the door open to the departure of Kalajdzic by referring to how “dynamic” the transfer market can be, although his optimism over the Austrian returning to action this weekend is interesting.

It comes after Wolves saw a £13m bid rejected for the 25-year-old.

VfB Stuttgart are said to be holding out for a sum of €25m (£21m) for their No.9 this summer.

Interest in Kalajdzic comes after he scored six goals in 15 Bundesliga appearances last season.

Newcastle give Wolves a free run at Sasa Kalajdzic

At the moment, Newcastle are focused on wrapping up a club-record deal for Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad, having agreed a £59m fee with the Spanish side.

The Sweden international – like Kalajdzic – is a tall, physical forward, so it’s possible that Eddie Howe is no longer interested in the Bundesliga hitman.

Therefore, if Wolves make a bid closer to VfB Stuttgart’s £21m asking price while the Austrian is unsettled, it could be enough for Bruno Lage to secure his man – only time will tell.