Sport Bild claims that VfB Stuttgart are set to complete the permanent signing of Leicester City’s Bilal El Khannouss soon.
The Bundesliga side already paid the EFL Championship club a loan payment of around €3.5m to acquire the Moroccan’s services for the campaign. Now, it seems the Württemberger are ready to swiftly fulfil the conditions that will activate an automatic €18m buy clause.
The exact details of what triggers the option remain uncertain, but if – as is often the case – it’s linked to appearances, it shouldn’t take long before the 21-year-old reaches the required number.
El Khannouss has featured in all four league games since joining the BaWü club and netted three goals in six outings across all competitions. The Moroccan international’s passion for his new Bundesliga team has quickly made him a supporter favourite.
El Khannouss’ knack for scoring stunning long-distance goals continues to earn praise from VfB boss Sebastian Hoeneß, who was excited about the player right from the start.
After El Khannouss scored the decisive goal in a 1-0 triumph over Heidenheim at the weekend, Hoeneß spoke extensively about the midfielder during his post-match press conference.
“In the second half, you saw what he is capable of,” Hoeneß said.
“He is technically strong, agile, has great first touch, and is two-footed. He’s a great goal-scoring threat with an excellent goal-scoring rate. He still has some fluctuations and needs to find balance. Sometimes he wants to make things too beautiful or ingenious. He should remain in the center as he’s really dangerous there.”