FC Porto Competes with Stuttgart for Dzenan Pejcinovic

The tug of war for Dzenan Pejcinovic has moved up a gear. And this time, Stuttgart are not alone at the table.

According to Bild, FC Porto have formally entered the race for the 21‑year‑old Wolfsburg striker and already tested the waters with an opening bid. The Portuguese champions are said to have put €23 million on the table – a number Wolfsburg dismissed without blinking. Relegated or not, VfL are treating their emerging No. 9 as a premium asset.

Wolfsburg’s stance is clear: €25 million or nothing. With Pejcinovic under contract until 2029, they can afford to dig in.

Porto push in, Stuttgart hold their ground

Porto’s first attempt was turned away quickly, but the story is far from over. The club are reported to be preparing a second offer, determined not to walk away at the first sign of resistance. They want a new focal point in attack and see Pejcinovic as a long-term answer.

Stuttgart know that feeling well. For them, he is not just a target – he is the dream signing. And they have already run into the same wall.

VfB’s latest proposal, a package worth around €18 million, was also rejected. Now, with Porto muscling into the picture and driving up the market, Wolfsburg’s €25 million demand looks even more entrenched. Bild reports that Stuttgart are readying a new offer of €22 million, but that still falls short of the asking price and, in this climate, looks unlikely to be enough.

Hoeneß bristles at Demirovic noise

The chase for Pejcinovic has thrown up an awkward subplot in Stuttgart: what does it mean for Ermedin Demirovic?

When Sky suggested that coach Sebastian Hoeneß was open to selling the Bosnia international – with Fenerbahce and Juventus among the clubs monitoring him – 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 his position plain. Demirovic, he stressed, is not a disposable asset: "My goal is always to have the best players at VfB and Medo is one of our best players."

So this is not a case of one in, one out. Stuttgart want Demirovic. They want Pejcinovic as well.

Up front, they are not short of quality. Demirovic and Deniz Undav already form one of the Bundesliga’s most potent partnerships. Jeremy Arevalo, signed in January, is waiting for his chance after a settling-in phase, and Jovan Milosevic has returned from loans at Partizan Belgrade and Werder Bremen to give VfB a fourth centre-forward option – even if the expectation is that the Serb will move on again.

Pejcinovic, then, would not be plugging a gap. He would be elevating the squad for a Champions League campaign, giving Hoeneß a deep, varied rotation at No. 9 for the first time at this level.

The player’s preference tilts the board

Money and muscle are one side of the battle. The other is desire. On that front, Stuttgart hold a crucial advantage.

Pejcinovic, Bild reports, wants to leave Wolfsburg after relegation but stay in Germany. Stuttgart, fresh from a superb season and heading back into the Champions League, tick every sporting box. The move would also bring him closer to Munich, where his story in elite youth football began.

Initially in Bayern Munich’s academy, Pejcinovic left for Augsburg at 12, then jumped from FCA’s Under‑19s to Wolfsburg in 2022. His path has not been smooth. A loan to Fortuna Düsseldorf in 2024/25 in the 2. Bundesliga brought minutes but also a second metatarsal fracture.

Last season, though, he finally broke through at VfL. Across 34 games in all competitions, he scored 12 goals and showed enough presence, movement and penalty-box instinct to turn himself into one of the most intriguing young centre-forwards on the market.

Stuttgart see a striker ready to explode in a front-foot, high-tempo side. Pejcinovic sees a club that can offer him the Champions League without forcing him out of his comfort zone in Germany.

Porto’s counter-argument: prestige, pressure, and a familiar frustration

Porto, of course, can also put the Champions League on the table. They can offer a grand stage, a fanbase that demands titles, and a reputation as a launchpad to Europe’s very top clubs.

They have already moved at centre-forward this summer, bringing Andre Silva back from Elche to his boyhood club. But their attacking line is still in flux. Samu Aghehowa, the dazzling attacking talent linked with some of Europe’s giants, tore his ACL in February and is not expected back until the end of October. In his absence, Terem Moffi, on loan from OGC Nice, and Turkey international Deniz Gül shared the burden but never fully convinced.

Pejcinovic, in that context, is more than a luxury signing. He is a potential solution.

Yet a move to Portugal would drag him away from the Bundesliga spotlight and the weekly rhythm of a top-five league. The comfort of language, culture and proximity to Munich would vanish. For a 21‑year‑old still piecing his career together after injuries, that is not a minor detail.

There is another layer of irritation for Stuttgart. Porto have already hurt them once.

Last season, the Portuguese side knocked VfB out of the Europa League in the round of 16. Porto won 2-1 in Stuttgart, with goals from Moffi and rising star Rodrigo Mora, then finished the job at home with a 2-0 victory despite a flurry of VfB chances. Stuttgart’s run ended there; Porto themselves were stopped a round later by Nottingham Forest (1-1, 0-1).

Now Porto are back in Stuttgart’s path, this time off the pitch, threatening to hijack a transfer the Swabians have been building towards for months.

A battle of resolve – and of timing

The lines are drawn. Wolfsburg stand firm at €25 million. Stuttgart edge closer with each offer but refuse to be dragged into a bidding war that wrecks their wage and fee structure. Porto, cash in hand and emboldened by their status, are prepared to push.

Pejcinovic, though, seems to be looking south within Germany, not west to Portugal.

The question is simple and brutal: who blinks first – Wolfsburg on their valuation, Stuttgart on their limit, or Pejcinovic on his preference?