One of the sagas of the summer has come to an end as VfB Stuttgart have announced that Deniz Undav has rejoined the club on a permanent basis.
The deal was on, then off, then on again and then off again as Stuttgart and Brighton tried to negotiate a fee for Undav, who was adamant that he want to return to the MHP Arena. The final fee is said to be around €26.7m and breaks Stuttgart’s transfer record which they set earlier in the window when Ermedin Demirovic joined from Augsburg for €21m.
Bild reports that the deal took a drastic turn at the end of July when Brighton demanded €40m + €10m in bonuses. Stuttgart then threatened to let the deal collapse and they even went as far as finding an alternative to Undav. The Premier League side then gave in and reduced the price by €20m.
On returning to Stuttgart, Undav said:
“It was always my wish to stay at VfB, it’s a great feeling that the wait is now over and I’m back here. I’m looking forward to the team, I’m looking forward to the club and I’m looking forward to the fans.”
In his first season in the Bundesliga, Undav played 30 games scoring 18 and assisting nine as he played a key role in Stuttgart qualifying for the Champions League. The 28-year-old formed a formidable strike partnership with now departed Serhou Guirassy.
Undav will now play a leading role in Stuttgart’s new-look attack alongside Demirovic as they compete on three fronts this season.
GGFN | Jack Meenan
