145 million SVC. That's how much Stuttgart have knocked off their best-paid player's asking price in a month. Bids received: none.

He's a 92-rated German left-back, 29, who also covers DML and LM. The game carries no name for him, but he's one of three 92-rated players at Stuttgart and their top earner on 510,420 SVC in wages. That's 14.7% of a 3.47M wage bill.

He's listed at 99,132,303 SVC against a game value of 20.34M, so Stuttgart want 4.87 times what he's worth.

The price trail

• 27 August: listed at 244,132,303 SVC
• 25 September: relisted at 119,344,359 SVC
• 26 September: cut again 13 hours later, to 99,132,303 SVC

Across those three listings the bid records show nothing at all. He's been at the current price for 26 days.

That opening number wasn't random. It's exactly 12 times his game value, and it matches the max-bid figure on his auction. I checked the 2,280 listings posted across the game since 18 September. Not one was priced above 12 times value, and 413 sat exactly on it. All five players Stuttgart have on sale were first listed at that ceiling. The current 99.1M ask is the ceiling with a round 145M taken off.

Why Stuttgart think it works

Because it has worked. On the same morning, 27 August, Stuttgart listed an 88-rated striker at 130,816,859 SVC, again 12 times his value. On 17 September Bristol Red paid exactly that. They still had money from selling Morgan Rogers to Brighton for 239.26M in July. One bid, at the full price. Deal done.

In June, Benfica paid 110,770,200 SVC for Nick Woltemade. Their bid came 42 seconds after the listing went up and was 1 SVC over the asking price. Between them, those two sales brought Stuttgart 241.59M.

Why this one's stuck

The top of the market has stopped moving. Of 9,274 players listed, only nine are rated 90 or above, and none of the nine has a bid. Since 20 August the only 90-plus player to change clubs was 97-rated Frenkie de Jong, who went from Barcelona to Lyon for 140M.

Stuttgart's left-back is now the cheapest of those nine. He's a shade under Metz's 90-rated Gautier Lloris at 100M, and well below Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk (130M) and Mohamed Salah Hamed (120M). Three of the nine are Stuttgart players.

Not many clubs have that kind of money anyway. Only 21 other clubs have 99.1M SVC or more in the bank.

Do they even need the money?

No. Stuttgart have 282.29M SVC, making them the third-richest club in the game behind Wolverhampton (394.71M) and São Paulo Green (322.13M). That's more than Bayern and Freiburg have between them.

What they need is results. class21's side are 7th in DEU Division 1 with 32 points from 22 games. They're 24 behind leaders Bayern and haven't won in six (LDDLLL).

The left-back isn't the problem. He's fit again after two short knocks in September, his form reads 666666 and his morale is listed as "Happy". He's played 74% of league minutes this season: 17 appearances, 2 goals, 1 assist, 6 clean sheets and an average rating of 7.24. If he goes, Stuttgart have a 90-rated 25-year-old who can play LB or CB. Ian Maatsen (81) is out injured until 9 November.

All five of Stuttgart's listed players add up to an asking price of 630.13M SVC. Their combined game value is 66.93M, so that's 9.4 times value.

The 12-times gamble paid off once, in September. At 99.1M Stuttgart are still asking nearly five times value, and right now nobody rated above 90 is getting a bid. It's up to class21 now: cut the price again or take him off the market. I'll be watching the auction feed.