VfB Stuttgart close to activating the €20m buy option for Bilal El Khannouss

Stuttgarter Nachrichten reports that VfB Stuttgart are close to activating the €20m buy option for on-loan forward Bilal El Khannouss. 

Last summer, the Moroccan international moved to the Bundesliga side on loan with a buy option that would hinge on a certain number of appearances being made. Now, the target is more or less met, and the €20m buy option will be activated.

El Khannouss will sign a contract at the MHP Arena until 2030, and his new deal also does not include a buy option. 

El Khannouss’s season with Stuttgart so far:

Before the Africa Cup of Nations, and his brief slump, the 21-year-old has been one of Stuttgart’s better players. In 30 games for Sebastian Hoeneß’s side, El Khannouss has eight goals and six assists, but since his return from AFCON, he has yet to refind his form.

While Deniz Undav and Jamie Leweling have picked up the mantel in terms of carrying the team’s attack.