West Ham United will not, it seems, get the helping hand they were looking for from AC Milan when the Serie A giants took Niclas Fullkrug on loan in January.
The Germany international drew a blank for the 14th time in 15 Rossoneri appearances as Napoli leapfrogged Massimiliano Allegri’s side into second place on Sunday.
Fullkrug’s AC Milan ‘fate is sealed’, according to Tuttomercatoweb. The seven-time European champions simply have no plans – and in truth no reason – to make Niclas Fullkrug’s loan deal into a permanent transfer.
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That is despite securing a cut-price, £4.3 million option to buy clause in the striker’s contract.
Fullkrug is likely to have other admirers heading into the summer. But the task facing West Ham United was summed up pretty well by this week Klaus Filbry, the CEO of Werder Bremen.
Werder Bremen rule out Niclas Fullkrug return as West Ham United face summer problem
Scorer of 45 goals in 90 league games between 2019 and 2024, Werder Bremen would welcome Fullkrug back with open arms if money was no object at the Weser Stadium.
Unfortunately, finances are anything but unlimited.
“Niclas identifies completely with the club and had expressed interest in coming back himself,” Klaus Filbry tells Sport BILD.
“The deal was financially out of reach for Werder. We looked into it. However, there was then the opportunity to move to AC Milan. It’s a top club where he also plays internationally and where his chances of a possible World Cup appearance would increase.
“I don’t think the [financial] circumstances will change in the summer, even though I would of course like to see him back in a Werder Bremen shirt.”
Fullkrug reportedly earns £90,000-a-week at West Ham. Too much for Werder Bremen. Too much for many of his suitors.
If only AC Milan wanted to keep Fullkrug at the San Siro
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Relegation-battling Wolfsburg and Augsburg were prevented from making a move of their own for exactly that reason.
Fullkrug celebrated his 33rd birthday in February. Since joining the Hammers from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2024, he has scored a grand total of three goals in 41 league matches.
Simply put, Fullkrug is a footballer on top-level European wages who, from a sporting perspective, is no longer performing at a level befitting of his pay-packet.
AC Milan have given the Hammers quite the headache, then, by opting against triggering that purchase clause.
Either Fullkrug accepts a wage cut, either offers arrive from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar or America, or West Ham may have to get creative.
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