A 17-goal striker at a bargain price: could this surprise transfer be on the cards for VfB?

Eintracht Frankfurt v VfB Stuttgart - Bundesliga

VfB Stuttgart are poised to make a move in the Dutch second division.

Sky and Voetbal International report that VfB are stepping up their efforts to secure the signing of RKC Waalwijk centre-forward Tim van der Leij.

Sky reports that concrete talks are already underway regarding a transfer for the 20-year-old. According to the broadcaster, the Swabians would only have to pay a base transfer fee of one million euros for van der Leij, whose contract at Waalwijk runs until 2028. Performance-related bonus payments could be added on top of that.

To ease his transition from the Dutch second tier to a top Bundesliga club and Champions League participant, van der Leij will likely join the reserves initially, according to Sky. He is expected to spend one season developing his game in the third division before becoming a valuable addition to Sebastian Hoeneß's first-team squad in his second year in Stuttgart.

Meanwhile, Voetbal International claims the transfer will be completed within the next three to five days. Waalwijk have already prepared for the sale and are poised to replace van der Leij with Jesse van de Haar, a centre-forward currently at Dutch top-flight side FC Utrecht who spent last season on loan at Belgian second-division club SK Beveren.

FC St. Pauli 1910 v VfB Stuttgart - Bundesliga

Set for a move to VfB? Tim van der Leij boasts an impressive goals-to-games ratio.

Van der Leij came through the youth set-ups at PSV Eindhoven and Vitesse Arnhem, joining Waalwijk on a free transfer from Vitesse's U21s last summer.

Although he was often used as a substitute, his goal-scoring record remains impressive: in 38 appearances across all competitions, the 1.93-metre-tall, pacy Dutchman scored 17 goals last season, averaging one every 85 minutes.

Waalwijk finished sixth in the second tier, securing a play-off spot for the third and final promotion berth to the Eredivisie, but they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Willem II, who eventually won the play-offs.

At VfB Stuttgart, van der Leij would face stiff competition.

In Stuttgart, van der Leij is unlikely to make an immediate impact in Hoeneß's side because of fierce competition for the number nine shirt. With DFB striker Deniz Undav—whom Sky reports will extend his 2027 contract by at least two years—and Bosnian international Ermedin Demirovic, the first-choice spots are already occupied. Stuttgart signed Jeremy Arevalo at the start of the year to fill the squad slot behind them.

The 21-year-old, signed from Racing Santander for €7.5 million, has made only seven brief Bundesliga appearances so far, but he has already scored five goals in four outings for the club's third-division reserve team.