Bayern Munich blame Nick Woltemade media circus on Stuttgart as director denies role in transfer circus

Bayern's third bid of €60 million (£52m/$70m) for Woltemade was rejected by Stuttgart, who have now reportedly upped their asking price to €75m (£65m/$88m). When asked for the latest update on Woltemade's transfer, Freund claimed the matter was handled internally and no details were released. He further blamed the Stuttgart camp for causing the media frenzy surrounding the player.  

Bayern reignited their attempts to sign Woltemade as the striker asked both clubs to enter negotiations but Stuttgart once again rejected their advances. Stuttgart have reiterated their stance multiple times that they plan on keeping the player, with Stuttgart sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth and CEO Alexander Wehrle both stating that Woltemade will play with them next season. When asked about the forward's future, the sporting director clearly stated that they are not the ones using the situation to generate talks.

In a press conference, Freund confirmed that there have been no talks with Stuttgart and insisted Bayern are not responsible for all the media speculation. He said at a press conference: "Bayern wasn't the match that generated so much discussion. We never commented on deadlines or figures. There's no update either. We play against Stuttgart tomorrow, where the player is under contract."

Earlier Stuttgart coach was also asked about Woltemade's future, to which he said: "Nick is a part of our team and a very important building block in our team. Nothing has changed about that."

Stuttgart's new price tag makes it increasingly difficult for the German striker to leave the club with the striker's agent having labelled Stuttgart's demands as "completely unfounded". The two clubs are now set to face each other in the German Super Cup on August 17.