Stuttgart Confirm Defender Comeback as He Faces Important Choice
VfB Stuttgart have officially confirmed that Hiroki Ito will return to training with the first team next week, marking the Japanese international’s long-awaited comeback from a serious metatarsal injury sustained in July during a pre-season friendly. The 26-year-old centre-back, who has been sidelined for over four months, is now in the final stages of his rehabilitation and has been given the green light by the medical department to rejoin full group sessions starting Monday. While the club stopped short of setting an exact date for his competitive return, sources close to the Swabians indicate that Ito could be in contention for minutes as early as the home game against Bochum on 7 December, provided there are no setbacks.
The news will be welcomed by Stuttgart fans who have sorely missed Ito’s composure, progressive passing, and aerial presence at the heart of Sebastian Hoeneß’s back three (or occasionally back four) this season. In his debut Bundesliga campaign last term, the former Júbilo Iwata man established himself as one of the league’s most complete modern defenders, contributing three goals and four assists from defence while ranking in the top percentile among European centre-backs for progressive passes, success rate in aerial duels, and tackles won in the middle third. His absence left a noticeable void, particularly in the build-up phase, and forced Hoeneß to rely heavily on the experienced Waldemar Anton, the ever-reliable Atakan Karazor, and the promising but still raw 20-year-old Anrie Chase.
Yet Ito’s return arrives at a pivotal moment not just for Stuttgart’s season but for the player himself. Multiple reports in Germany and Japan suggest that the defender faces one of the most significant decisions of his career in the coming weeks: whether to commit his long-term future to VfB Stuttgart or entertain concrete interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs ahead of the January transfer window.
Bayern Munich, in particular, have made no secret of their admiration. sporting director Christoph Freund and head coach Vincent Kompany are understood to view Ito as the ideal profile to eventually succeed or complement Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-jae in the coming years. Bayern’s interest is long-standing; they attempted to hijack Stuttgart’s €30 million move from Júbilo Iwata in the summer of 2024 but were rebuffed. With Ito’s current release clause reportedly still active at the same figure (a bargain in today’s market), the Rekordmeister could trigger it in January and force Stuttgart’s hand.
Beyond Bavaria, Premier League sides Liverpool, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur have all registered strong interest. Scouts from Merseyside were present at almost every Stuttgart match Ito played last season, while United’s new technical director Dan Ashworth is known to be an admirer of versatile, ball-playing defenders who fit the modern pressing mould. Spurs, under Ange Postecoglou, see Ito as a potential successor to the injury-prone Cristian Romero in the left centre-back role of their high-line system.
For Stuttgart, the situation is delicate. The club’s sporting CEO Alexander Wehrle and director of football Fabian Wohlgemuth have repeatedly stressed their desire to keep their core together after last season’s sensational second-place finish and subsequent Champions League qualification. Ito, alongside players like Undav, Führich, and Millot, is considered a cornerstone of the project Hoeneß is building. Contract extension talks began in September, with Stuttgart prepared to offer a significant wage increase and, crucially, the removal or substantial raising of the €30m release clause. However, negotiations are said to have stalled over the past fortnight, with Ito and his representatives keen to keep all options open until after the Club World Cup next summer at the earliest.
The player himself has remained characteristically diplomatic. In his only public comments since the injury, made to Japanese outlet Sponichi in October, Ito said: “Stuttgart believed in me when many big clubs in Europe hesitated. I will never forget that. But I also have dreams – every footballer wants to test himself at the very highest level. Right now my only thought is to get back on the pitch and help my teammates.”
That loyalty is genuine, but the scale of external interest is impossible to ignore. Sources in Ito’s camp indicate that a move to Bayern would be viewed more favourably than a Premier League switch at this stage, largely because it would allow him to remain in the Bundesliga (a league he has quickly fallen in love with) while competing for major trophies and guaranteeing Champions League football. A January transfer to Bayern would also avoid the uncertainty of next summer, when half of Europe’s elite will likely enter the race if the release clause expires without renewal.
From a purely sporting perspective, staying at Stuttgart at least until the end of the season makes sense. VfB currently sit sixth in the Bundesliga and remain in the Champions League knockout race. Hoeneß’s system is tailor-made for Ito’s skill set: a possession-based, proactive style that asks its centre-backs to step into midfield, break lines with vertical passes, and cover large spaces in transition. Few clubs in Europe – Bayern included – would offer him the same level of responsibility and creative freedom at this stage of his career.
Financially, however, the picture is different. Bayern are prepared to offer a salary in the region of €8–10 million per year after tax, more than triple his current Stuttgart wage. Premier League clubs could push even higher. For a player who earned modest wages in Japan until 18 months ago, the opportunity to secure life-changing money for himself and his family is a serious consideration.
Stuttgart, for their part, are not powerless. DFB regulations mean that any club triggering the release clause would still need to negotiate personal terms with the player, giving Ito the final say. The club also hope that a strong run of form upon his return – coupled with the emotional pull of captaining the side in the latter stages of the Champions League and potentially at the Club World Cup – could yet convince him to extend.
As one club insider put it: “Hiroki knows what he has here. He’s loved by the fans, trusted completely by the coach, and playing the best football of his life. But when Bayern Munich come calling with that kind of money and prestige, it’s not a normal decision anymore.”
For now, Ito’s immediate focus will be on regaining sharpness and match fitness. Hoeneß is expected to ease him back via substitute appearances and possibly a start in the DFB-Pokal tie against Hamburg in early December. How he performs in those games – and how Stuttgart fare in the congested winter fixture list – could yet prove decisive in tipping the scales.
One thing is certain: when Hiroki Ito finally steps back onto the pitch in the famous white-and-red hoop, every pass, every tackle, and every progressive carry will be scrutinised not just by Stuttgart fans desperate to see their defensive lynchpin return, but by half of Europe’s elite clubs waiting to see if the quiet Japanese defender is ready to take the next step – or whether he will choose to write another chapter of this remarkable Stuttgart story first.