Kicker reports that VfL Wolfsburg have turned their attention to the EFL Championship in their search for additional assistance at right-back. The Bundesliga outfit wishes to acquire Coventry City’s Milan van Ewijk. The German publication reports that the 24-year-old wishes to move to the Lower Saxon Autostädter.
Wolfsburg have seen their pursuit of a new right back thwarted twice this summer, missing out on chances to acquire both Zakaria El Ouahdi from KRC Genk and Andrei Rațiu from Rayo Vallecano. Van Ewijk, a regular at Coventry, maintains an estimated €10m market value.
Many of the right-backs Wolfsburg targeted previously this summer were deemed too expensive. Die Wölfe also encountered difficulties negotiating a transfer sum with another English second division side this year, ultimately failing to purchase Norwich City striker Josh Sargent.
In the case of Sargent, the German Wolves and the Canaries were not far apart on the transfer fee at all. The current VfL administrative team has simply toed a hard line. The club operates on an estimated €28.15m summer transfer deficit after four purchases and two sales.
Despite the fact that the VWers enjoy plenty of funding, some guarding of the pursestrings is necessary. Wolfsburg shelled out €15m to acquire defensive midfielder Vinicius Souza from Championship side Sheffield United. German fullback Aaron Zehnter also cost Germany’s green company team €4.5m.
The permanent purchases of striker Mohamed Amoura (€14.75m) and central defender Denis Vavro (€2m) also count against the summer budget. Wolfsburg had actually been hoping to move Amoura in order to free up some cash, but the Algerian attacker recently succumbed to injury.
GGFN | Peter Weis
