VfB Stuttgart “will try everything” to sign Deniz Undav on a permanent basis from Brighton and Hove Albion this summer, believing there are “good opportunities” to get a deal done.
That’s according to CEO Alexander Wehrle and sports director Fabian Wohlgemuth, who have both gone public again with their feelings as the transfer tussle with Brighton for the striker continues.
Undav was one of the stars of the show for the German side last season while on loan from Brighton and the Bundesliga club are determined to get him back on a permanent basis this summer.
They had a clause to sign him from Brighton and activated it but were immediately counteracted by the Seagulls, who used a buy-back clause they’d agreed to stop him departing.
Brighton want a bigger fee if Undav is to leave this summer and so the two clubs have been locked in negotiations for weeks trying to find a price that they can both agree on.
In the meantime, Undav has been making it clear that he wants to return to Stuttgart, even making a surprise appearance at their training camp this week, which was largely seen as a publicity stunt, perhaps intended to put more pressure on Brighton.
Now Wehrle and Wohlgemuth have gone public with their opinions too, making it clear they think a deal is there to be done.
“We have good chances with Deniz Undav,” the CEO stated to Fussball News.
“In the end it can also be a question of time. At some point we may have to say: this far and no further. But that time has not yet come, and the market will only really start moving after the European Championships.
“He (Undav) committed to us 100%. That’s why we are prepared to carry out a transfer with this, by our standards, very large financial volume. But we will not exceed certain limits, we will remain sensible.”
“We will try everything to implement this because Deniz was an important stabilizing factor last year – but also someone who leads the way in the dressing room, who also provides the right lunch when there is a need,” added Wohlgemuth to SWR.
“At least in this case we have to push our economic limits. We are in intensive discussions with Brighton. We’re trying a lot. But as I said, we also have to make sure that we don’t exceed our economic limits.”
