Stuttgart Race to Retain Deniz Undav Before World Cup
VfB Stuttgart are staring at a brutal dilemma: pay a club-record package to keep Deniz Undav now, or risk watching their 25-goal talisman walk away for nothing next year.
Time is not their friend.
If no agreement is struck before Undav leaves for the World Cup, negotiations will be put on ice. That pause would all but kill any chance of extending his deal beyond 2027 this summer, opening the door for the German international to run down his contract and depart on a free. From 1 January, he is legally free to speak to other clubs. And there will be plenty.
A second, richer offer on the table
Stuttgart know what is at stake and have moved accordingly. According to Bild, the hierarchy will put a second, significantly improved offer in front of Undav before the weekend.
The first proposal, made at the start of May, was ambitious enough: a three-year contract with an option to extend to 2030. Undav turned it down.
This time, CEO Alexander Wehrle and sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth are pushing their chips into the middle. The supervisory board has already signed off on the new terms, which include a basic salary in the region of €5.5–6 million per year, up from around €4.5 million, plus a €3 million signing bonus. For VfB, that is uncharted territory – a record-breaking offer designed to show Undav exactly how central he is to their project.
The message from the club is clear: you are the face of this team. We are prepared to pay you like it.
Settled in Stuttgart, courted from abroad
Undav has not slammed the door. Quite the opposite. He has told the club’s decision-makers that he is open to committing his long-term future to VfB. He and his family feel at home in Stuttgart – in the dressing room and in the city.
But football economics rarely care about comfort.
His numbers this season – 25 goals and 14 assists – have travelled far beyond the Bundesliga. Wealthier clubs overseas have taken notice, armed with wage structures Stuttgart simply cannot match. For them, a striker in his prime, with that output and a contract ticking down, looks like an opportunity.
For Stuttgart, it looks like a threat.
Star for VfB, super-sub for Germany
The contrast between Undav’s status at club and country only adds another layer to the story.
At VfB, he is the main man. The reference point. The player everything funnels through in the final third.
With the national team, he is pencilled in as a super-sub. Julian Nagelsmann has Kai Havertz locked in as his first-choice centre-forward, and recent friendlies have underlined that hierarchy. Undav even found himself behind Nick Woltemade in the pecking order, despite the Newcastle United forward’s struggles and a goalscoring record that does not come close to Undav’s.
The VfB striker responded in the best way possible: by deciding a game.
In the second friendly against Ghana, Undav proved decisive and then, with his confidence high, voiced his hope of earning a starting place. It was an honest ambition from a player who has outgrown the bench at club level.
Nagelsmann’s reaction stirred the pot. The national coach made remarks directed at Undav that raised eyebrows, before later apologising to the striker in person. Undav has since confirmed that their relationship is intact, the air cleared.
A decision that shapes VfB’s future
So the picture is set: a prolific striker, adored in Stuttgart, still fighting for full trust with the national team, and standing at a crossroads in his career.
VfB have pushed their financial limits to keep him. Undav feels settled but knows his next contract could define his peak years. Overseas clubs are circling, and the clock is ticking down to his World Cup departure.
If Stuttgart cannot close this deal now, how many more nights will their fans see their No. 9 in red and white?
