kicker reports that West Ham defender Konstantinos Mavropanos is a candidate to potentially return to VfB Stuttgart as they look for defensive reinforcements.
The Greek defender is said to have fallen out of favour under new West Ham coach Julian Lopetegui and his future at the club is no longer certain. After only a year away from the MHP Arena, it could open the door for a potential surprise return. Burnley defender Ameen Al-Dakhil is also said to be a candidate at VfB but is not top of their priorities at the moment.
Stuttgart are still looking for a central defender to replace the departed Waldemar Anton. VfB have been linked to a host of defenders throughout this window including Loïc Badé of Sevilla and Armel Bella-Kotchap of Southampton.
Mavropanos played 89 times for Stuttgart across three seasons at the club. The 26-year-old helped them finish ninth in his first season in the South West of Germany before then being one of the stand-out players as Stuttgart dramatically avoided relegation in 2022 and then needed to beat Hamburg in the relegation playoff a year later.
GGFN | Jack Meenan