VfB Stuttgart have completed the signing of Leo Sauer from Feyenoord, with the Slovakia international putting pen to paper on a contract running until June 2031. The two clubs confirmed the move on Wednesday, with the fee reported at around €12.5 million, a figure that could climb further through performance-related add-ons built into the deal. The 20-year-old becomes one of the more eye-catching arrivals of Stuttgart's summer, joining from the Eredivisie on the back of a rapidly growing reputation.
Stuttgart's sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth explained the thinking behind the deal, saying Sauer has "repeatedly demonstrated his qualities in the Dutch Eredivisie, in the Europa League, and while playing for the Slovak national team," and calling him "a player with great potential" who will "strengthen and expand our attacking approach." Stuttgart, who finished fourth in the Bundesliga last season to secure Champions League football, beat regional rivals Hoffenheim to his signature. Manager Sebastian Hoeneß wanted a quick, direct wide player capable of running in behind and delivering crosses into the box, attributes that suit a Stuttgart side built to dominate the ball and attack in numbers.
For Feyenoord, it means losing a player they developed from his teenage years. Sauer joined the Rotterdam club in 2022 as a 16-year-old, initially on loan from Slovak side MŠK Žilina, before signing a full professional contract in April 2023. After a loan spell at NAC Breda, he worked his way into Robin van Persie's first-team plans and made 44 appearances for the club. "I am enormously grateful to Feyenoord, grateful for the trust it showed in me at a very young age," Sauer said on leaving, adding that he hoped supporters would "grant me this step." Feyenoord recoup a healthy fee for a player who still had two years left on his previous contract, but lose a home-grown attacking option just as he was becoming a regular starter.
Sauer's stock has risen quickly over the past year. In the Eredivisie last season he made 20 appearances, 17 of them starts, scoring three goals and setting up two more while regularly creating chances from the left. His form for Slovakia has done just as much for his profile: he was one of the standout performers as Slovakia beat Germany 2-0 in a World Cup qualifier in September 2025, repeatedly running in behind the German defence with his pace and nearly scoring himself in a result that ended Germany's long unbeaten run away from home in qualifiers. He has since gone on to win 11 caps for his country.
At Stuttgart, Sauer is expected to compete for a starting spot on the left, offering pace, directness and a willingness to take defenders on that gives Hoeneß another option in attack. His dribbling and delivery from wide areas back up the reports that persuaded the club to move for him, and if he settles into the physical demands of the Bundesliga, he adds another route to goal for a Stuttgart side preparing for a season that includes Champions League football.