VfB Stuttgart ‘interested in’ fourth-tier defender Maxim Hessel of Carl Zeiss Jena | OneFootball

Bild reports that VfB Stuttgart are among several clubs interested in Carl Zeiss Jena defender Maxim Hessel from Germany's fourth tier.

Up to eight teams from the top two divisions are said to be interested, with Dynamo Dresden also named. With a contract running until 2027, this is the last time Jena could get a fee for the 20-year-old.

Hessel is currently valued at €125k by transfermarkt. He has scored seven goals in 20 games this season from centre-back.

Jena, the former East German club, are second in the Regionalliga Nordost, behind Lokomotiv Leipzig.

Examples such as Younes Ebnoutalib show the leap between divisions is possible, though at Stuttgart Hessel would not be an immediate option. Sebastian Hoeneß’s side are well stocked at centre-back, with six senior players: Jeff Chabot, Finn Jeltsch, Ramon Hendriks, Luca Jaquez, Ameen Al-Dakhil and Dan-Axel Zagadou.

Source: Get German Football News