Kicker Report: Müller transfer stalled, Stuttgart also consider Ortega and Alexander Schlager for starting keeper role
German footballing magazine Kicker reports the VfB Stuttgart have a "Plan B" and a "Plan C" in place with respect to their search for a new keeper.
After selling off #1 net-minder Gregor Kobel to Borussia Dortmund after the season for a reported €15 million, Stuttgart's search for their new first-choice keeper has stalled. Some three weeks after apparently having disaffected Mainz shot-stopper Florian Müller within their clutches, there has been no official confirmation of a deal in Swabia.
Germany's preeminent football publication reports that, along with the expected delays that invariably take place during the major summer internationals, VfB sporting director Sven Mislintat and Mainz chief exec Christian Heidel are haggling over the price. The sides are said to not necessary be all the far apart, separated by a mere €2 million.
Kicker journalists Benni Hofmann and Georg Moissidis still expect the transfer to go through. After all, Mainz have no need to hold onto Müller. Robin Zentner started between the sticks this season whilst Müller spent the campaign on loan at Freiburg. The Nullfünfter also retain 23-year-old Finn Dahmne--Stefan Kuntz's surprise choice to lead Germany's U21s to the European Championship--on their roster.
Hofmann and Moissidis nevertheless report that Mislintat has a pair of back-up options up his sleeve. Arminia Bielefeld's Stefan Ortega cold potentially be persuaded to move to Baden-Württemberg if promised a starting role. Alexander Schlager of LASK Linz, currently on Austria's Euro roster, is another option.
The journalists note that Main seek a transfer fee of €6 million whilst Stuttgart consider Müller worth closer to €4 million.