Niclas Füllkrug has a new club. © ANSA / BASTIAAN SLABBERS

Füllkrug moves to the Premier League

Niclas Füllkrug is moving from Borussia Dortmund to England to join West Ham United. The 31-year-old striker signed a contract until 2028, as the English Premier League club announced. The transfer had been hinted at for days - Füllkrug is leaving BVB after just one season.

August 05, 2024

From: dpa

"I'm really happy to be here and can't wait to be on the pitch with my new teammates," said Füllkrug, according to a statement from his new club. "I think the Premier League is the best league in the world and it's the right time for me to move to England and play for a big club like West Ham." Füllkrug had already left the BVB training camp in Switzerland on Saturday morning. Neither club gave any information on the transfer fee, but media reports say it is around 30 million euros.

The new BVB coach Nuri Sahin had actually made it clear that Füllkrug played a central role in his plans. However, Dortmund also signed Serhou Guirassy from VfB Stuttgart this summer, who, like Füllkrug, plays in the center of the attack. "Niclas is a great player and a really good guy who identified with BVB extremely quickly. It was not our plan to sell him this summer. Against the backdrop of an exceptional offer and his personal desire to take the chance of a long-term contract in the Premier League, we have nevertheless decided to agree to the transfer," said BVB sporting director Sebastian Kehl.

Only two centre forwards?

According to reports, BVB is already looking for a successor for Füllkrug. Especially since the departure of 19-year-old Youssoufa Moukoko is also looming. His agent had publicly complained about the teenager's role as a reserve. According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Moukoko is moving to Olympique Marseille. OSC Lille is also said to be interested. Sébastien Haller (30) is also a classic center forward in the BVB squad. BVB is said to be increasingly interested in signing Maximilian Beier (21) from TSG Hoffenheim.

Füllkrug only moved from Werder Bremen to Dortmund in the summer of 2023 and signed a contract until June 30, 2026. He reached the final of the Champions League with BVB last season and scored twelve goals in the Bundesliga. West Ham finished ninth last season and will not play internationally in 2024/25. The English club's coach since this summer is Spaniard Julen Lopetegui.