Fulham and Wolverhampton Wanderers are interested in VfB Stuttgart defender Konstantinos Mavropanos, as he looks to leave the German side this summer.
That’s according to Sport 24 in Greece, who say both sides are ‘checking out’ the centre-back alongside Italian champions Napoli.
The newspaper explains that with Stuttgart fighting to stay in the Bundesliga, questions are now being raised about what their squad will look like next season.
The biggest of those questions is over Mavropanos and the Swabians’ ability to keep hold of him whether they are relegated or not. Either way it appears he will be departing and the focus at the moment is getting the best fee for him.
That’s because ‘there is a lot of interest’ in the 25-year-old centre back, with Sport 24 learning that Napoli are leading the race and eyeing the Greek defender as a replacement for Kim Min-jae.
Mavropanos has received the necessary approvals from those in charge of the club, but they face competition for his signature as both Fulham and Wolves have been ‘checking out’ the defender ahead of a possible move in the summer.
They know that the player ‘believes that the time has come’ to leave Stuttgart and he would prefer to continue his career outside of Germany if he has a choice.
He is therefore open to a move back to England and Stuttgart will sanction a sale for the right price, although it will likely have to be higher than €18m after they rejected that sum in January.
That’s a figure Napoli are willing to pay if they secure a big sale for Kim Min-jae, as neither their interest nor their willingness to pay it or their ability are in question.
Whether Fulham and Wolves would isn’t mentioned but that would be a relatively low sum for a Premier League side to pay in the current market and the latter already showed interest in the January transfer window.
Their interest, then, is a longstanding one and with Mavropanos now keen to move on, it may be time to move to get him, although they will seemingly face competition from Marco Silva’s side and the new Italian champions.
