West Ham United in race to seal Niclas Fullkrug deal as Bundesliga club circle
West Ham United are close to agreeing a fee with Borussia Dortmund for striker Niclas Fullkrug, according to The Mirror.
Writing on their live transfer blog (1 August, 11:50am), the publication reported that the Hammers have seen a £17m bid rejected for Fullkrug, who is also still attracting interest from Bundesliga side Stuttgart.
Tim Steidten remains optimistic that West Ham can strike a deal with Dortmund, with the clubs close in terms of valuation, but they will have to wrap up the deal quickly to avoid missing out on another target.
West Ham face competition to sign Niclas Fullkrug
West Ham will not want to face the possibility of losing out on another target after the deal for Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran collapsed due to a difference in valuation.
Julen Lopetegui and Steidten turned their attention to the more experienced Fullkrug and the German has even flown over to London to secure his Premier League move (Sean Whetstone, 1 August)
The deal for the 31-year-old has been overshadowed by the impending arrival of Crysencio Summerville from Leeds (BBC Sport, 31 July). Still, the Hammers cannot afford to begin the Premier League season in just over a fortnight without competition for Danny Ings and Michail Antonio.
Fullkrug has all the tools to be a physical presence for Lopetegui up top and help link the play with Jarrad Bowen, Mohammed Kudus, Lucas Paqueta and now Summerville.
The German international featured for his country at Euro 2024 and would bring Champions League experience to the London Stadium, having reached the final of last year’s competition with Dortmund.
There is a case to argue that Duran would have been the smarter option, 11 years his junior and already has experience in the English top-flight, but Fullkrug is more suited to the here and now.
The Hammers now need to do everything in their power to ensure that he plies his trade in Claret and Blue this season.
In other West Ham news, another forward has rejected a move to London Stadium.
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