Stuttgart launched their new season with authority, beating third-division Hansa Rostock 4-0 away in the DFB-Pokal first round to set a confident tone. The result was the first competitive outing of the campaign and gave coach Sebastian Hoeneß a clean platform to assess his squad ahead of a demanding run of fixtures.

Beneath that positive start, the club faces persistent transfer pressure. Galatasaray have now raised their bid for striker Ermedin Demirovic to 18 million euros, up from an initial offer of 15 million that Stuttgart rejected outright. The club paid 23 million for the Bosnian two summers ago, and sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth is holding firm above 20 million. Demirovic himself said as recently as early August that leaving was not on his mind, but Sky reports he is now warming to the move. The Turkish club is also monitoring midfielder Bilal El Khannouss, though Stuttgart value him at around 65 million euros and have no intention of selling.

On the squad-building side, Stuttgart completed the 25-million-euro signing of 21-year-old striker Dzenan Pejcinovic from Wolfsburg. Hoeneß has spoken enthusiastically about the forward, saying he expects Pejcinovic to earn a senior Germany call-up in time. The new arrival made his competitive debut at Rostock and adds depth to an attack that lost Nick Woltemade to Newcastle last season.

Next up is a trip to the Allianz Arena to face Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga opener on August 28, a repeat of last May's DFB-Pokal final, which Bayern won 3-0.