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VfB Stuttgart are looking to avoid Brighton and Hove Albion striker Deniz Undav becoming too expensive for them to sign permanently, with talks planned to activate his purchase clause.

That’s according to BILD, who over the player today and say Stuttgart are eyeing talks in the spring to get their man.

Undav has been on loan with the German side since the summer, electing to leave Brighton after something of a difficult first year with the Seagulls.

He’s proven to be a big hit with the Swabians, managing nine goals and three assists in 13 league games so far despite only playing in 54% of the available minutes.

They would very much like to sign him on a permanent basis if they can and have the option to do so as there is a purchase option included in the loan valued at ‘around €18m’.

However, with every goal that Undav scores and the fact he’s now on Julian Nagelsmann’s list for Germany, he ‘becomes more expensive’.

Thus, VfB will ‘try to press the purchase option’ as soon as they can and first discussions with Brighton are scheduled to take place int eh spring.

The suggestion seems to be that they can’t afford that figure at this moment in time, and they’ll seek negotiations with Roberto de Zerbi’s side to try and find an agreement that suits all parties.

They may be able to do so if they sell star man Serhou Guirassy this month, with Undav very much considered a ‘strong replacement’ for him should he depart.

Plans are in place either way for talks with Brighton in the hope that they can avoid Undav becoming too expensive to become theirs full-time.