Real Madrid no longer see €45m-rated Bundesliga star as a transfer target | OneFootball

It has been a while since Real Madrid identified the pivot position to be one in need of reinforcements and recent transfer windows have continually seen Los Blancos linked to players in the department.

Martin Zubimendi and Rodri, for long, were sees as the two options that appealed the most to the Merengues.

The former, however, has signed for Arsenal and the latter suffered a knee injury that makes his transfer complicated this summer.

A third, lesser-known option Real Madrid strongly considered was Stuttgart’s Angelo Stiller. The German star, however, is now no longer an option as relayed by ESPN in a recent update.

A change in situation

Real Madrid’s big spending so far this summer has brought the club to a situation where they will no longer make any signings until they sell some players.

Real Madrid no longer see Stiller as an option. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)

Xabi Alonso sees the defensive midfield to be one of his priorities should the club have the finances to pull off a transfer. Stiller, however, is currently ruled out as an option at the Real Madrid offices.

The reasons for the same are likely multifactorial, including the club’s usual preference for more experienced options and the hurdles that emerged in their pursuit of the German star.

As relayed last month, Stiller has a release clause in his contract valued at approximately €36.5 million. However, that clause only becomes active in 2026.

Until then, Stuttgart can block any approach to the player by paying a meagre fee of €2 million directly to the player and cancel the clause entirely, forcing the interested party to negotiate from scratch.

With his contract in Germany valid until 2028, moreover, such a freshly negotiated sum may well turn out to be a significant number for Real Madrid should they pursue and prioritise his signing.

The decision to remove him from their wish-list, thus, is understandable. Nevertheless, Los Blancos will continue looking for alternate options in the department until the end of next month and hope to close a signing.

*Player valuation in title obtained from transfermarkt.com on date of publication.