Leonidas Stergiou will be loaned to 1. FC Heidenheim until the summer. Stergiou joined Stuttgart from FC St. Gallen in the summer of 2023 and has a contract until the end of June 2028. The transfer was originally planned for the turn of the year but was postponed after sports director Fabian Wohlgemuth considered coach Sebastian Hoeneß's concerns that the defense had insufficient personnel. The move is now proceeding as Jeltsch, Al-Dakhil, Zagadou, and Jaquez are returning. A loan fee, described as a mid-six-figure sum, will be paid. According to kicker information, a purchase option has not been agreed upon. After signing the contract, Stergiou commented that he is very happy about the loan within the Bundesliga. He added that it is a great opportunity for him to regularly gain match practice again and to help FCH achieve their objective of staying in the league.

Leonidas Stergiou, a 23-year-old Swiss right-back, is set to transfer to Heidenheim from VfB Stuttgart on a loan deal. He was not a target for FC Augsburg, who were also in the market for a defender. The defender has six caps for the Switzerland national team. His current market value is estimated by Transfermarkt at €3.50m. He previously moved to Stuttgart from St. Gallen in July 2024 for a reported fee of €2.0 million.