Wolfsburg submit €18m offer to Toulouse for England U21 international Charlie Cresswell – which is likely to be rejected by the French side | OneFootball

Kicker currently confirms a report originating in The Athletic concerning a Bundesliga offer for England U21 international Charlie Cresswell. Both publications claim that VfL Wolfsburg have submitted a €18m offer to Toulouse for the former Leeds United centre-back. Kicker further notes that this will likely prove a wholly insufficient offer for the 26-time-capped England U21 international. 

Borussia Dortmund have long been interested in Cresswell

As reported by Get German Football News in December, Borussia Dortmund have had Cresswell in their sights for quite some time. The much richer Bundesliga club stands a significantly better chance of acquiring the Preston-native based on their financial clout and sporting prospects. Dortmund appear to have backed off after it became apparent that Chelsea would not exercise their early loan recall option on Aarón Anselmino.

Wolfsburg’s interest may nevertheless render matters more exigent for Dortmund. BVB could easily outbid Wolfsburg’s offer. Despite the fact that the Wolfsburg tender is technically an oversized offer for the €15m-valued defender, it has been reported by Get French Football News that Toulouse value Cresswell at €25m.

Wolfsburg may not have the budget

The fact that Wolfsburg are a corporately sponsored non 50+1 side often leads many to the false conclusion that Germany’s green company team operates on a virtually unlimited budget. For the present moment at least, this happens not to be the case. The Lower Saxon Autostädter – as evidenced by the collapse of the Josh Sargent deal this summer – will stand their ground when it comes to purchases approaching the €20m mark.

GGFN | Peter Weis