Bild reports that VfB Stuttgart are one of several clubs interested in a defender from the fourth tier of German football.
Several clubs in the top two leagues are interested in Maxim Hessel from Carl Zeiss Jena, and with a contract running until 2027, this is the last time Jena could get a fee for the 20-year-old. The defender is currently valued at €125k by transfermarkt.
Up to eight teams are said to be interested in Hessel, with VfB Stuttgart and Dynamo Dresden among the clubs named.
This season, Hessel has seven goals in 20 games as a centre-back. While the former East German side are currently second in the Regionalliga Nordost behind Lokomotiv Leipzig.
Stuttgart’s current centre-back options:
While the likes of Younes Ebnoutalib have shown that such a big leap in the leagues is possible, at Stuttgart, Hessel would not be an option for the immediate future.
The centre-back position is one that Sebastian Hoeneß’s side is well stocked in. There are currently six senior centre-backs in the Swabians’ squad: Jeff Chabot, Finn Jeltsch, Ramon Hendriks, Luca Jaquez, Ameen Al-Dakhil and Dan-Axel Zagadou.
GGFN | Jack Meenan
