[Vargas_4]

There are ever more signs that top rated Germany striker Mario Gomez will no longer be at VfB Stuttgart come next season, though it will likely require a Bundesliga record fee to prise him away.

Stuttgart have unofficially slapped a 50m EUR fee on the 22-year-old, who counts the likes of AC Milan, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Roma as his suitors. This is more than triple the amount of his valuation from the beginning of the season, so the Italian capital club is likely to have withdrawn their interest, however.

"One cannot insure the market value of Mario, we feel he is worth about 50 million euros," said Stuttgart's director of sport Jochen Schneider.

VfB coach Armin Veh also chimed in with an opinion, which was both forthright and perhaps overly optimistic.

"If I were Real's coach, I would want to sign him. But his favourite Spanish team is Barcelona - and Real are the arch-enemy," he said.

"The plan is that Mario wil stay with us for a few more years, that time is extremely important for his development."

Gomez will be out for two weeks with a thigh muscle injury, meaning that 'Mister Zuverlaessig' (Mr Reliable) will miss the crucial clash at home to Hamburg on Saturday, and then also the away trip to face Bayer Leverkusen, both of which could have a huge bearing on where Stuttgart finish at the end of the season.

"It cannot be changed. I want to be fit again as soon as possible, but I have to be patient and wait," said Gomez, who tore a thigh muscle against Hannover last weekend.

It is a significant blow for his club's aspirations for securing European football for next season as Gomez has hit 15 league goals for the Swabians in 20 games this season and has been particularly prolific since the winter break. He grabbed another two for Germany last week in their 4-0 friendly win over Switzerland.

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Goal.com - Bundesliga - Stuttgart Want €50m For Gomez