Stuttgart have revealed they are weighing up a move for Chelsea striker Claudio Pizarro.
The German club’s manager, Horst Heldt, admitted Pizarro was on a list of players they were targeting.
The striker joined Chelsea in 2007 from Bayern Munich but after failing to settle at Stamford Bridge he was farmed out on loan to Werder Bremen last season.
And after bagging 17 goals in 26 games, the Peru international could be in line for a permanent return to the Bundesliga.
Stuttgart have money to spend following the big-money transfer of Mario Gomez to Bayern Munich and are seemingly keen to snap up Pizarro.
“Pizarro is an interesting player,” said Heldt. “We have a list and we try to work off it.
“The other clubs know that, thanks to the Gomez transfer, VfB have a lot of money and are looking for a great player.”
The Stuttgart boss also hinted he would look to extend Thomas Hitzlsperger’s contract at the club, following reports in the English press linking the former Aston Villa player with a move to Arsenal.
He added: “In the coming weeks, we will tackle all the players whose contracts end in 2010 - Cacau, Hitzlsperger and Hilbert.”