Hamburg are hoping to lure Tottenham midfielder Lewis Holtby back to the Bundesliga before the end of the transfer window.
Holtby, 23, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Fulham, could return to Germany's top flight less than two years after leaving Schalke for the Premier League.
Earlier this week, Hamburg confirmed their interest in signing the Germany international, and coach Mirko Slomka has since admitted to being a fan.
"He is a class player, no need to discuss that," Slomka told Abendblatt. "I think it's a fairytale that it is possible from an economic point of view."
The Hamburg-based paper also reports that Holtby and the club's new CEO, Dietmar Beiersdorfer, met in London to discuss a potential transfer.
"Let's wait and see what happens in the next few days," Holtby is quoted as saying by Abendblatt. "I am young and I always want to play. That's important for me -- my development, my career."
Despite the backing of Klaus-Michael Kuhne -- a multi-millionaire logistics tycoon -- Hamburg do not currently have the finances to make a permanent transfer possible and, according to Bild, hope to sign Holtby on a loan deal.