Stuttgart director Sven Mislintat insists that contract talks will be held with Sasa Kalajdzic as the Bundesliga outfit look to fight off interest from Tottenham, West Ham United and Everton, as he told Sport BILD.
Ten months ago, VFB star Nicolas Gonzalez gave an exclusive interview to Tuttomercatoweb – one that didn’t go down all that well at the Mercedes Benz Arena.
“I have decided: I want a new experience, fresh air. I will leave Stuttgart,” said the Argentine international.
Flash forward to April 2021 and, despite interest from a number of big name Italian clubs, Gonzalez is still very much a Stuttgart player. The five-time Bundesliga champions proved that they will not be bullied in the transfer market.
So if Tottenham, West Ham, Everton or Newcastle were planning to throw their weight around, assuming that Kalajdzic can be lured away with minimal fuss, they will have another thing coming.
“We know how good he is. We will hold talks with Sasa by summer at the latest, either before or after the European Championships,” explained Mislintat, the former Dortmund and Arsenal talentspotter.
“It is not that we are currently throwing peanuts at Sasa. If he plays a lot and plays well, he can already grow financially. There are opportunities for improvement within his current contract.
“Sasa is completely relaxed. He also knows how we stood by him when he was injured (with an ACL rupture). We didn’t sign anyone for his position, we always believed in him. He’s giving it to us now back with heart and soul.”
According to Fussball Transfers last week, Tottenham made contact with the £15 million-rated Austria international after he scored his 15th goal of the season against Dortmund.
West Ham, Everton and Newcastle have also been linked (FT and TuttoJuve).
But, as Mislintat points out, Stuttgart hold all the cards here.
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