FC Porto Disrupt Stuttgart's Pursuit of Pejcinovic
FC Porto have stepped straight into VfB Stuttgart’s transfer plans and planted themselves firmly in the middle of one of this summer’s most intriguing striker sagas.
According to Bild, the Portuguese champions have already tested Wolfsburg’s resolve with an opening bid of around €23 million for Dzenan Pejcinovic. Wolfsburg didn’t blink. The offer was rejected immediately, the signal clear: the 21-year-old will not be allowed to leave on the cheap after VfL’s relegation.
Wolfsburg are said to want at least €25 million. Not a cent less.
Porto push, Wolfsburg hold, Stuttgart wait
Porto are not walking away. A second bid from the Estádio do Dragão is expected, and this time it will have to come closer to Wolfsburg’s valuation. The Portuguese club see Pejcinovic as a key piece for their attack, even after bringing back former Bundesliga forward Andre Silva from Elche.
Stuttgart know that script all too well. They have already run into the same wall. VfB’s last proposal – a package worth around €18 million – was knocked back, and Bild now reports that the Swabians are preparing to raise their offer to about €22 million. Still short of the €25 million Wolfsburg are demanding, and now undercut by Porto’s financial muscle and Champions League regularity.
Porto’s arrival in the race makes it even less likely that Wolfsburg will soften their stance. With two serious bidders circling, VfL can sit tight.
Stuttgart’s “dream signing” and the Demirovic question
Inside Stuttgart, Pejcinovic is viewed as a dream signing. Not a luxury, but a statement. The plan, according to the report, is to bring him in regardless of what happens with Ermedin Demirovic.
That idea sparked noise. When Sky suggested coach Sebastian Hoeneß would be open to selling Demirovic – amid interest from Fenerbahce and Juventus – the reaction in Stuttgart was sharp.
“I was irritated and, to be honest, also annoyed by some of what was discussed there,” Hoeneß later told Bild, making it crystal clear he wants his captain and top scorer to stay. “My goal is always to have the best players at VfB and Medo is one of our best players.”
The message: Pejcinovic is supposed to complement, not replace.
And Stuttgart are not exactly short up front. Demirovic and Deniz Undav already give them one of the Bundesliga’s most productive strike partnerships. Jeremy Arevalo arrived in January as a challenger and is still adjusting after his first half-season. Jovan Milosevic is back from loans at Partizan Belgrade and Werder Bremen, though he is widely expected to move on again.
Pejcinovic would turn a strong group into one of real European depth. With the Champions League returning to the Neckarstadion, VfB want four centre-forwards they can trust across three competitions. The 21-year-old fits that vision perfectly.
Pejcinovic’s rise – and the pull of home
For Pejcinovic, this is a career-defining choice.
He knows Germany. He grew up in it. Born in Munich, he came through Bayern’s youth ranks before moving to Augsburg at 12 and then joining Wolfsburg from FCA’s Under-19s in 2022. Last season, after a loan at Fortuna Düsseldorf in the 2. Bundesliga – where he suffered a second metatarsal fracture – he finally broke through in Wolfsburg’s first team.
Across 34 appearances in all competitions, he scored 12 goals. Enough to catch the eye of clubs with European ambitions. Enough to turn him into one of the most interesting young No. 9s on the market.
Stuttgart, Bild reports, are his preferred destination. He wants to leave Wolfsburg after relegation but stay in the Bundesliga. The sporting project at VfB is attractive: Champions League football, a coach who has shown he can improve young players, and a team that finished fourth last season playing bold, front-foot football.
There is also the emotional pull. A move to Stuttgart would bring him closer to his home city of Munich again. Porto can offer the Champions League as well, but not the week-to-week grind of a top-five league. Nor the proximity to family and familiarity of German football.
Porto’s need, Stuttgart’s scars
Porto, though, have their own urgency. They have already moved for Andre Silva, but their attacking line still carries question marks. Samu Aghehowa, one of the brightest talents in Europe, tore his ACL in February and is not expected back until the end of October. His absence has forced Porto into makeshift solutions.
Terem Moffi, on loan from OGC Nice for the second half of last season, and Turkey international Deniz Gül shared the workload. Neither fully convinced across the campaign. Pejcinovic, with his movement, penalty-box instincts and upside, would give Porto a long-term focal point.
And Stuttgart know exactly how dangerous Porto can be when they really want something.
Last season, the Portuguese side had already tormented VfB on the pitch. In the Europa League round of 16, Porto went to Germany and won 2-1, with goals from Moffi and highly rated youngster Rodrigo Mora. The return leg at the Dragão was a lesson in clinical finishing: Stuttgart created enough chances but lost 2-0 and went out.
Now Porto are back in Stuttgart’s path – this time in the market, not in Europe.
A tug of war with no room for sentiment
The dynamics are clear. Wolfsburg sit on a valuable asset tied down until 2029. Stuttgart are pushing from the player’s side, Porto from the financial and competitive side. The Bundesliga’s fourth-placed club can offer home comforts, a familiar league and a system that suits Pejcinovic. Porto can offer a traditional European powerhouse and a central role in a rebuilt attack.
Wolfsburg, burned by relegation, are under no pressure to sell on the cheap. With Porto already at the table and Stuttgart poised to raise their offer again, VfL can wait for someone to hit that €25 million mark.
The question now is simple and brutal: will Stuttgart stretch to meet Wolfsburg’s price and match Porto’s financial muscle, or will they watch a striker who wants to stay in Germany board a plane for Portugal instead?
