West Ham United have confirmed the signing of Niclas Fullkrug from Borussia Dortmund.
The 31-year-old striker has signed a four-year deal with the Premier League side.
The Athletic reported last week that West Ham were hopeful a deal for Fullkrug could be completed in time for him to travel to the United States with fellow transfer target Crysencio Summerville, whose move from Leeds United was confirmed on Saturday. Dortmund previously rejected an offer in the region of €20million for Fullkrug but talks had remained ongoing between the two clubs over a deal.
Signing a forward has been a priority for West Ham during the summer window and The Athletic reported last month the club had made a £30million ($38.6m) bid plus teenage midfielder Lewis Orford in a move to sign Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran.
“I’m delighted to be here, and I can’t wait to get out on the pitch with my new teammates,” Fullkrug said. “I think the Premier League is the best league in the world, and for me it is the right time to move over to England and play for a big club like West Ham.
“I have been thinking about West Ham for a long time now — I know the technical director Tim Steidten very well, because we have history at Werder Bremen together, and I have watched some games and seen how much quality there is in the team.”
Fullkrug joined Dortmund in the summer of 2023 following spells with Nuremberg, Hannover and Werder Bremen. He scored 15 goals across 43 appearances in his debut season for Dortmund, helping the club reach the Champions League final with goals in the quarter-final and semi-final stages.
Dortmund, though, moved to sign Serhou Guirassy from Stuttgart earlier this summer by triggering his €17.5million (£14.7m; $19.1m) release clause. The 28-year-old Guinea international scored 28 Bundesliga goals last season.
Fullkrug was named in Germany’s squad for the 2022 World Cup despite being uncapped at international level at the time, making his debut in a friendly against Oman in November 2022.
He scored against Spain and Costa Rica as Germany were eliminated from the group stage, but he continued his goalscoring form in major tournaments by netting against Scotland and Switzerland in the group stage of this summer’s European Championship.
Alongside Fullkrug and Summerville, West Ham have signed defender Max Kilman from Wolverhampton Wanderers, Brazilian teenage winger Luis Guilherme from Palmeiras and goalkeeper Wes Foderingham this summer.
(Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
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