Man Utd's Last-Minute Bid for Real Madrid Target Crashes and Burns
Manchester United reportedly made a last-minute but unsuccessful bid for VfB Stuttgart's midfielder Angelo Stiller on the final day before the summer transfer window shut.
United invested significantly in new offensive players to help improve their disappointing Premier League performance from last season, while also bringing in promising Belgian keeper Senne Lammens.
The midfield position was another area requiring reinforcement in perfect circumstances, having clearly struggled with presence and dominance during last month's 1–1 stalemate with Fulham in the Premier League. There were considerations of Brighton & Hove Albion's Carlos Baleba, but any possible agreement was abandoned due to an excessive price tag for the Cameroonian.
Atlético Madrid's Conor Gallagher was also mentioned as a possible Deadline Day option, while BILD now reports of an unsuccessful late attempt for Stiller.
The German outlet reports that Stiller ultimately had no intention of departing Stuttgart this season, presently content with his "assured" position as a regular starter. His immediate goal is securing a spot with Germany for the 2026 World Cup next summer, and adjusting to a fresh project in an unfamiliar league and nation could be risky when his national team position is far more precarious than at club level.
It is only following the World Cup when Stiller, who has candidly acknowledged that his long-term ambition is to relocate overseas after seeing Florian Wirtz make the leap by signing with Liverpool this summer, will contemplate a future beyond Stuttgart.
Previously part of Bayern Munich's academy and reserve squads, Stiller's career flourished when he transferred to Hoffenheim in 2021, before achieving greater success since his move to Stuttgart two years prior. He earned his first senior Germany cap last September but has only collected four appearances thus far.
Manchester United's pursuit of Stiller was initially reported just over a week before their supposed final approach, while connections with Real Madrid—positioned as a successor to Luka Modrić in preparation for his expected departure after the Club World Cup—surfaced much earlier during the summer.