Valencia close in on €15m Kostic?

Valencia are close to making Stuttgart winger Filip Kostic their first summer signing for a reported €15m.

According to Superdeporte, Kostic has already passed initial medical tests and only needs to wait for the two clubs to settle on a fee.

Stuttgart are holding out for €15m, but the newspaper claims a fixed sum of €12-13m will be enough to tempt the Germans into a sale, with the remaining €2m paid in variables.

The Serbia international is expected to put pen to paper on a four or five-year contract at Mestalla worth €1.5m a season, and a deal could be closed “in the next few hours”.

Former Sevilla defender Ivica Dragutinovic, who is acting as a mediator in negotiations, told his country’s media on Saturday: “Everything is still possible. I don’t have to publicise the details.”

Kostic scored five goals and made seven assists in 30 Bundesliga appearances for Stuttgart last season but could not halt the side’s relegation.

The 23-year-old had also been linked with the likes of Hamburg, Southampton and Liverpool.