Baden-Württemberg: Clarity after turbulent weeks: Kalajdzic leaves VfB

After weeks of rumors, Sasa Kalajdzic and Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart finally have certainty.

Baden-Württemberg: Clarity after turbulent weeks: Kalajdzic leaves VfB

After weeks of rumors, Sasa Kalajdzic and Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart finally have certainty. The Austrian leaves Swabia for the English Premier League. At VfB, the question arises as to how the gap should be closed.

Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) - The alternating theater around Sasa Kalajdzic has come to an end. The striker is leaving the Bundesliga and VfB Stuttgart and officially joined the English first division club Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday. There he signed a five-year contract, which includes the option for another season. Visa and work permit are now available.

According to media reports, around 18 million euros will flow into VfB's account as a base fee, which has already let Orel Mangala move to Nottingham Forest for around 13 million euros during this transfer period. Further income could follow thanks to possible bonus payments.

Kalajdzic, whose contract in Stuttgart was valid until June 30, 2023, still played the first games this season. He was missing from the squad against 1. FC Köln (0-0) last Sunday. "After moving to VfB in recent years, Sasa has become an established Bundesliga and national player who has attracted the attention of clubs at home and abroad with his performances," said sporting director Sven Mislintat.

Kalajdzic has been linked with several top clubs for months. Both FC Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are said to have had the Austrian international on their list after Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland left there. Manchester United are also said to have started advertising for a short time. In the meantime, Sascha Empacher, the 25-year-old's advisor, spoke of a probability of just "five percent" that Kalajdzic would stay. It's now zero percent.

At VfB, the considerations are not yet over as to how the departure should be compensated. One possibility is an internal solution. However, newcomer Luca Pfeiffer saw the red card on his starting eleven debut in Cologne. He has to sit out three game days. In addition to Silas Katompa Mvumpa, Chris Führich or Juan José Perea could be used in the home game against newly promoted FC Schalke 04 on Saturday (3:30 p.m. / Sky).

But there are also persistent rumors that Mislintat could become active again on the transfer market. The name Mergim Berisha kept coming up. But the German U21 European champions opted for Stuttgart's league rivals FC Augsburg.

The income generated by Kalajdzic's departure could help to fill the gap created. However, VfB is running out of time because the change period ends on Thursday. At least things will calm down again after the nerve-wracking weeks - and that's also important with a view to the start of the season. Because the Stuttgart team is still waiting for their first win of the season in the league.