Stuttgart manager Markus Babbel says Klaas-Jan Huntelaar would be the perfect replacement for Mario Gomez, who has joined Bayern Munich, and is confident in signing the Dutch forward – who is yet to play in a World Cup Finals. The move could be exactly what is needed for the striker – who will no doubt be looking to South Africa next summer and considering the competition now at Madrid – a move to Germany will be welcomed.
The Dutchman’s future at the Bernabeu has been cast into doubt following the return of former president Florentino Perez, who has already splashed more than £250 million on star signings including Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. A number of other Real Madrid players futures are also in doubt. The 25-year-old front-man only joined the Spanish giants from Ajax in January, netting eight league goals in 20 appearances.
Markus Babbel, who played for Germany in the 1998 World Cup finals against Mexico and the United States, believes the signing is imminent:
“He would fit right in. He is the sort of quality hitman we are looking for,” he told Stuttgarter Zeitung.
“We haven’t been doing any business on that sort of level yet, but we need a suitable replacement for Mario Gomez and that’s why we went for him.
“It’s not about spending €3 million on someone, that wouldn’t help us. We need genuine quality.”
