Kicker Report: Chris Richards among trio of players on Stuttgart target list
As VfB Stuttgart scramble to find new personnel plugs ahead of the new season, Germany's preeminent footballing publication has been trading names linked with a move to Swabia.
Alexander Pass (FC Sturm Graz) and Daniel Elfadli (1. FC Magdeburg) count as potential midfield reinforcements. American defender Chris Richards may also be on his way back to German football.
With squad pillars Konstantinos Mavropanos, Borna Sosa, and captain Wataru Endo almost certainly on their way out of Württemberg in the coming days, VfB Stuttgart are scrambling find replacements for their roster. The name most commonly traded as a midfield replacement for Endo is one of current VfB trainer Sebastian Hoeneß' former protégées from his time at FC Bayern II and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim: Germany U21 international Angelo Stiller.
Alexander Pass (FC Sturm Graz) and Daniel Elfadli (1. FC Magdeburg) count as potential midfield reinforcements. American defender Chris Richards may also be on his way back to German football.
George Moissidis - the Stuttgart correspondent for Germany's Kicker Magazine nevertheless reports that Hoffenheim see no reason to sell Stiller and negotiations are at a standstill. Moissidis cites his own sources to claim that the Swabians are considering a pair of other candidates. Austrian midfielder Alexander Prass of FC Sturm Graz and 1. FC Magdeburg's Daniel Elfadli are the subject of inquiries.
The club may also be seeking out the services of another one of Hoeneß' former players; former two-time Hoffenheim loan-out Chris Richards. The American defender also worked with Hoeneß at Bayern youth level. Richards was sold to Crystal Palace last season, but made just nine appearances for the Premiership outfit.
Palace paid a reported total of €12 million for the Alabama native. The 23-year-old maintains an estimated market worth of €10 million in the latest transfermarkt listings. In total, Richards made 35 Bundesliga appearances for Bayern and Hoffenheim. The 10-times-capped USMNT international scored one Bundesliga goal.