Man Utd weighing up transfer for €60m-rated midfielder who club chiefs have monitored for 'years'

After spending heavily in the summer transfer window to rebuild their squad following a disastrous 2024-25 campaign, which saw the Red Devils go trophyless and finish 15th in the Premier League, Amorim is now planning to strengthen his team's midfield.

The Portuguese coach wanted to sign Brighton midfield sensation Carlos Baleba towards the end of the last window, but a move ultimately did not materialise. Since then, it has been reported that the club have prepared a six-man shortlist for the midfield position, which includes players like Stiller and Adam Wharton. 

According to Fabrizio Romano (via GiveMeSport), United's director of football Jason Wilcox has been a long-time admirer of Stiller and has monitored his game for quite some time. Wilcox is one of the key figures who has pushed the English giants to pursue a move for the German. United were linked with a move for Stiller in the summer but they did not approach Stuttgart with a concrete offer.

The report adds that the Bundesliga club are likely to buy out the €2m release clause in Stiller's existing contract, which runs until 2028. After that, the German side is expected to demand a fee in the region of €50m-€60m (£44m-£53m). 

However, any deal probably won't happen in the upcoming January transfer window, as United are unlikely to shell out such a huge amount just months after spending heavily in the summer window. Any move for Stiller will have to wait until next summer.

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Crystal Palace midfielder Wharton has also been linked with a move to Old Trafford, although the England international recently dismissively downplayed his transfer links to the Old Trafford outfit as he told The Athletic: "I don't really look into it or think too much about it. There are always rumours floating about on social media. Is it true? Is it not? You tell me. My friends, my family, my brothers, everyone will message me and be like, 'Is it true this club's interested?' I'm like, 'Thanks for telling me because I didn't know.' I don't know who's spreading it or who at United is looking at it. 

"I see it and I'm like, 'OK', and then I carry on with my day. United, the big teams, they're all linked to 10, 20 different players. If I'm one of 20, then it's nothing special, so it doesn't really mean too much. I speak with my agent about planning ahead and possibilities. But at the end of the day, it is who's interested and who's willing to try and get you and if that becomes the case? You can speak about it, but you've got to represent that on the pitch and prove that you deserve it."

In the last transfer window, AS reported that Real Madrid were plotting a move for the Germany international as the Spanish giants remain in search of a quality midfield option. Los Blancos are yet to sign any replacements for Toni Kroos - who retired in 2024 - and Luka Modric - who left for AC Milan as a free agent in the summer. However, Madrid never formally approached Stuttgart to submit a concrete offer.