With reports of a return to the Bundesliga played down, will the giants of Italian football instead come to the rescue of West Ham United’s injury-hit centre-forward Niclas Fullkrug?
Hammers News have confirmed that West Ham have set out their stall on Fullkrug’s future ahead of the January transfer window.
The Germany international is highly unlikely to bid farewell unless a replacement is lined-up. Chairman David Sullivan, meanwhile, insists that a ‘significant’ sum will be needed to prise away their £27 million acquisition.
That alone appears to have priced out a number of Bundesliga outfits who may have been holding out hope for a winter bargain.
Sky Germany claim that Wolfsburg and Augsburg will struggle to afford Niclas Fullkrug’s wages. The veteran striker reportedly earns £75,000-a-week after tax.
Stuttgart have played down those Fullkrug rumours themselves, meanwhile.
So, where do West Ham United and their treatment-room-dwelling centre-forward go from here? Italian reporter Gianluca di Marzio knows that Fullkrug would embrace a potential mid-season switch to Serie A. But, while AC Milan and Juventus have ‘considered’ signing the former Borussia Dortmund targetman in the past, has that opportunity now slipped away?
Gianluca di Marzio talks up Serie A move for West Ham United striker Niclas Fullkrug
Seven-time European champions AC Milan allegedly held talks to sign Fullkrug back in 2024, before former technical director Tim Steidten spent a reported £27 million on a striker whose record stands at a miserable eleven Premier League starts and three goals.
Juventus were also linked at the time. Whether Milan, Juve or an upwardly-mobile Roma outfit are willing to make Fullkrug’s Serie A ambitions come true, though, remains to be seen.
“Milan and Juventus considered Fullkrug, but they had other plans. I don’t know if Milan will want another striker in January [but] they need one. AS Roma also need another striker,” Di Marzio tells German publication Wett Freunde.
“Fullkrug could be one of the transfers in Italy in January. That obviously depends on Nuno Espirito Santo and whether he can be convinced that Fullkrug has a role at West Ham. Otherwise, he could be a target for Milan and Roma in January.”
Di Marzio rates the chances of a move to Italy fairly highly, even if the reporter is less convinced about whether Milan or Juventus still hold an interest in a man who will turn 33 in February.
“I know he wanted to come to Italy,” Di Marzio adds. “It was one of his preferred destinations for two or three years. Juventus wanted him in the past.
“I believe that, this time, he can really come to Serie A.”
Roma have struggled for goals while AC Milan may offer Santiago Gimenez in exchange
Gian Piero Gasperini’s Roma sit joint-top of the table, level on points with Inter Milan. However, the Giallorissi have scored only 12 times in 11 matches, their fine form heavily reliant upon an excellent defensive record.
Former West Ham loanee Evan Ferguson is yet to score in Serie A. Juventus will be in the market for a number nine too. Dusan Vlahovic’s contract is due to expire next summer.
Reports in Italy have suggested that Milan could offer Santiago Gimenez to West Ham as part of a deal that would see Fullkrug go in the other direction, meanwhile. A £30 million signing from Feyenoord last January, Gimenez was prolific in the Netherlands but has found the net only once in Italy this term.
Agent Thorsten Wirth explains why West Ham move hasn’t worked out
Speaking on the TOMorrow Business Podcast earlier this month, Fullkrug’s agent acknowledged that his client had struggled to make his mark in English football, thanks largely to a seemingly never-ending run of injury issues.
“[A sale] always has to happen in coordination with the club, but I think it might make sense to make a change,” said Thorsten Wirth.
“Many would probably agree that Niclas is a classic penalty-area striker – strong in the air, physically powerful, able to shield the ball – basically made for the Premier League.
“[But] in retrospect, you have to say the transfer didn’t work. There’s no sugar-coating it.
“Time and again, just when you thought, ‘now he’s coming, now he’ll show England it wasn’t just a good Euro and then nothing afterwards’, another injury came. And that’s a shame.
“He’s had a bit of negative momentum and also some bad luck.”
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